Guardians
by BlackArch
Summary: Mainly, it's a Phoebe/Cole fic. Read the title, and it'll give you a hint. Other than that, I'd give it away. Fine, I'll tell you something else. It's part of a trilogy.:-) -Itz done!*sobs* Thanxs all of u who reviewed, Ch. 15&epilogue up!- R&R always
1. The Beginning

Guardians  
  
Scene: I didn't really like the ending of "Daddy Dearest". I thought maybe, hey, why don't I make Cole a Guardian instead of an Avitar?(Not the demonic Guardians) I was watching Inu Yasha, where he's the guardian of his father's grave. The gate to the graveyard is in Inu Yasha's eye. So, let's make Cole, the guardian of the gates to a demonic dimension, where there's a powerful evil trapped inside. Ooh, read what happens. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, Cole, Phoebe, Piper, Paige, etc. Don't sue me. I only own this little piece of fanfiction. After maybe the first few paragraphs, which are from the episode, "Daddy Dearest". Oh, whatever similarities there are to the Inu Yasha plot of an episode, then, I don't own that either. Happy! (Oh, side note, the only character that I do own, would be Kara and the demons they summon.) On with the story!  
  
"Ahhh!" Cole screamed before being engulfed by hot flames. The shock that followed knocked Phoebe and her sisters to the ground. As Phoebe stood up tosee if Cole had died, she stared in shock.  
  
"Oh my god" Phoebe uttered.  
  
"That should've worked" Paige said in disbelief.  
  
"Then why didn't it?" Piper asked baffled along with her sisters. When the smoke cleared, Cole was still standing without a scratch on him.  
  
Very different from his surroundings where there was shattered glass and broken wood. Cole was gasping and looked around slowly.  
  
"They knew it wouldn't work" Cole said more to himself then to anyone else as his eyes darted from left to right.  
  
"Who knew it wouldn't work? What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked, afraid.  
  
"You can't vanquish me. Nobody can," Cole stated sadly before turning around towards the balcony.  
  
After a few minutes of standing, staring and glaring, Phoebe, Piper and Paige decided to orb out. That left Cole alone to absorb his recent discovery.  
  
"No!" he yelled as he dropped to his knees in despair. Out of anger, he punched the floor and created a fist-sized hole.  
  
"Arggh!" he yelled out of anger and frustration.  
  
Suddenly, white orbs began to sparkle behind him, and began to form a figure of a man. Cole could feel a powerful magic so he lunged forward and  
  
turned around quickly. When the form was completed, he gasped.  
  
"Da Dad?" he whispered in disbelief and surprise.  
  
"Hello son," Benjamin replied to his son's reaction. He smiled in happiness and sadness. He was glad to see his son in person. But he was so sad that his son had to have so much pain and sadness in his heart.  
  
"Wha What's going on?" Cole asked weakly.  
  
"I don't have much time, so I must explain quickly. The Powers that Be know of the Avitars who are trying to get you on their side," Benjamin said  
  
in a hurried voice.  
  
"Yeah, so what's" Cole started but was cut off.  
  
"What's that got to do with anything? Well, The Powers That Be have something in mind for you that will help everyone. Interested?" Ben asked as he looked at his son curiously.  
  
"Yeah" Cole said simply. He was still shaken up from the fact that he was invincible.  
  
"What do you think of becoming a Guardian?" he proposed.  
  
"Guardian of what?" Cole asked harshly as he got up from the floor and lied down on the couch that hadn't been destroyed.  
  
"The guardian of a demonic dimension. Where there is a powerful evil trapped inside," Ben said as he moved closer to the couch.  
  
"Why not?" Cole answered coldly after a few moments.  
  
"Are you sure? There are very powerful demons that want to release this evil. They've killed the last 6 guardians. We've only been able to retrieve the gate narrowly each time" he explained.  
  
"Sure, it'd be nice to meet someone who could kill me" Cole said sadly.  
  
"Ah, yes. You're failed attempt at suicide" Cole's father said looking around at Cole's penthouse.  
  
"Uh" Cole simply replied as he shrugged his shoulders, and he closed his eyes.  
  
"The initiation is excruciating and very painful "Benjamin warned, with a look of concern streaked across his face.  
  
"Good" Cole said. It seemed that he was determined to answer in one-word sentences.  
  
"Alright. Unfortunately, I have to leave. My time is now up," Benjamin said sadly as he turned away from his son.  
  
"Wait," Cole said getting up quickly.  
  
Benjamin turned around, looking into his son's eyes that mirrored his own. Cole ran to his dad and hugged him fiercely. He began to sob into his  
  
father's shirt. All of a sudden Cole just broke down in his father's arms and just cried. Cole just felt so comfortable in his father's arms, it was like they had a bond. They stayed in that position for a few minutes.  
  
Cole's sobs became sniffles as Ben rubbed his back.  
  
"Shh, shh, shh. It's all right Cole, everything's all right. I know what you've had to go through. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to hold you like I am now" Ben said as he held his son in his arms.  
  
Unknown to them, Paige had orbed in to the next room and was hiding and watching them. The sisters and Leo decided to keep an eye on Cole.  
  
"Oh my gosh. Cole crying. Who is that anyway?" Paige asked herself in a whisper.  
  
"I gotta tell the others" she whispered before orbing out.  
  
Cole buried his face even further into Ben's shirt. He inhaled his father's scent in. Memorizing it. Enjoying it. It was a right smell. He felt at peace.  
  
Soon, Paige had come back with Phoebe and Piper.  
  
"There" Paige said as she pointed at the curled figure of Cole and his father holding him.  
  
"Who's that?" Phoebe asked suspiciously, pointing at Ben. Phoebe was afraid that he maybe some demonic evil that was helping Cole.  
  
"I don't know, let's just watch and see" Piper replied.  
  
"Come on Cole, you got to get up" Ben urged his son.  
  
"Do I have to? I would really rather just stay in you r arms. We haven't really been able to be together for obvious reasons" Cole replied looking up at his father.  
  
"Sorry Cole, but you know I have to go. And you," Ben said, wagging a finger, "have to get ready for the initiation. I don't want you to be permanently scarred emotionally or physically like when you were involved with that Charmed one" Ben said. He didn't like this, Phoebe, who had caused his son so much heartache.  
  
"I've caused him so much pain?! What about me?!" Phoebe said, nearly yelling.  
  
"Son, I don't want anything to happen to you. I couldn't bear it. So if you don't want to become the Guardian, you don't have toâE¦" Ben said, wanting to protect his son.  
  
"It's alright, dad, I've got nothing left, so, I may as well do this" Cole said sighing.  
  
"Alright, now go and prepare. Goodbye Cole" he said preparing to leave.  
  
"Goodbye, father. I love you" Cole said, his eyes filling with tears again.  
  
"I love you too," Ben said as he took his son in one more hug. He then separated from him and walked away. He then faded away like he was never there.  
  
Cole let out a sigh of sadness and turned away too.  
  
"Father?" Phoebe whispered.  
  
"And what does he have to prepare for?" Piper asked.  
  
"Do you want to stay, or go?" Paige asked turning to Phoebe.  
  
"I want to stay here and find out what he's up to" Phoebe said determinedly.  
  
"Alright, Phoebe" Paige replied, turning back to Cole. 


	2. Secrects Revealed

Chapter 2- Secrets revealed  
  
Cole walked toward the broken windows and waved his hand at them. The window shards and broken frame fixed themselves. He looked around and waved  
  
his hand at the parts of his apartment that were damaged by the explosion. After he did that, he walked into a clear part of his penthouse and sat down.  
  
"What's he doing?" Paige asked looking at Cole.  
  
"I'm guessing, preparing? I don't know" Phoebe replied.  
  
Cole then suddenly remembered something and decided to go to the bathroom and shave. He was starting to feel a little uncomfortable of having to go through this initiation looking like he did. So he got up and went into his  
  
bathroom.  
  
Phoebe nudged Piper in the ribs to wake her up.  
  
"Huh? I'm I'm awake" Piper said.  
  
"We've got to stay awake so we know what to do" Phoebe said slightly annoyed. I mean having an invincible ex-husband is pretty scary, she thought.  
  
Cole came out of the bathroom about 10 minutes later, shaved, clean, hair combed back, and wearing black dress pants with a simple black sweater. He sat back down and crossed his legs.  
  
"I wonder why he got dressed up?" Phoebe asked. Piper and Paige shrugged in response.  
  
Cole then pulled off his sweater and closed his eyes and began to meditate.  
  
"Ooh, I mean, huh, why is he doing that?" Paige said trying to cover up her curiosity. This time, it was Phoebe's turn to shrug.  
  
After about 20 minutes of meditating Cole lied down on the floor and seemed to fall asleep.  
  
"Okay" Piper said. "Good idea, why don't we just fall asleep?" Phoebe playfully hit her on the arm and they both grinned. They then both turned their attention to Cole again.  
  
Suddenly, a whirlwind came in, blowing through the windows and stopped in front of Cole. His eyes snapped open and looked up at the person standing above him.  
  
He had a white robe on that covered his entire body. There was a hood attached to the top, which completed covered his face so Cole couldn't look at his face. Cole knelt before the figure and bent his head down.  
  
"You already know why I am here. Your father had asked you the question I shall be asking. You must understand, once you've made the decision, you cannot turn back" the figure stated with a deep voice that encircled Cole.  
  
"Yes, I do understand" Cole replied.  
  
"Now, do you, Cole Turner, accept the responsibility of becoming the Guardian of this gate. To guard and protect the contents inside this dimension. To do everything in your power to do the things stated before?"  
  
"I do" Cole said solemnly.  
  
"Do you know what's going on?" Phoebe asked turning to her sisters.  
  
"No, do you?" Piper said turning to Paige. Paige just shook her head in response as she watched the scene.  
  
"Now, in order to proceed, we will need 3 witnesses" the figure said. He turned his gaze towards the three that were hiding in the next room.  
  
Cole looked in the direction where the figure was looking. The figure waved  
  
his hand and the sisters were pulled from their hiding place and were standing in front of the figure.  
  
"What the." Phoebe started but was stopped by the figure's hand that signaled for silence. Phoebe couldn't understand it, but she felt like she needed to obey him.  
  
"You 3 shall be his witnesses," he said in his deep voice as he pointed at the sisters.  
  
"What are you.Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Cole began but then grabbed his head as an overwhelming pain overcame his mind.  
  
"The process has begun" the figure in white simply said.  
  
Cole writhed and screamed in pain all over his apartment. He staggered around, as if drunk, trying to get away from the pain.  
  
"What's happening. Why is he doing that?" Phoebe asked with a tinge of concern in her voice.  
  
Cole heard Phoebe's voice and stumbled toward her but fell and landed at his feet. He was still yelling, but in between, he whispered her name. Against everything that her mind was saying, she knelt down and tried to help him.  
  
"No" the figure said and Phoebe quickly stood up, startled.  
  
"He must do this on his own."  
  
Phoebe looked back down at Cole. When his eyes flicked open then closed again, she saw his right pupil was fading into white. He started to shed tears, but after a few, they soon turned red, blood red. As they hit the floor, they burnt dents into the white carpeting.  
  
"What's happening?" Phoebe asked now scared for Cole.  
  
"He's is preparing to receive the gate to the demonic dimension as he agreed" the figure answered.  
  
Suddenly, Cole stopped writhing around. Phoebe looked even more scared. Cole wasn't moving and he looked like he was dead, like a mortal. Cole gasped in pain and Phoebe let out a breath of relief. She then saw that Cole couldn't see through his right eye. His pupil had completely turned white.  
  
"Stand," the figure said. Cole complied, though slowly. The figure opened his palm where a simple black pearl lay.  
  
"Keep your right eye open" the figure commanded. Cole simple nodded, exhausted from the preparation. The pearl floated up and came down into Cole's eye where his pupil used to be.  
  
His head snapped back, then he was thrown back. His eyes were shut tight. In his mind, he could see into the dimension he just received. It burned.  
  
Then, he could see another scene, where he was with Phoebe and a little girl was with him. Then he was thrown back into the demon dimension. The change from dimensions to alternate realities sped up and Cole let out a short, but blood curdling scream.  
  
He then all of a sudden and went limp, and then collapsed. The new gate that was placed in him was too much for him to handle for long so his mind shut down to protect itself. Phoebe didn't care what would happen to her if  
  
she disobeyed the figure. She ran to Cole to help him.  
  
"When he wakes up, he will babble due to the new sight that comes with the gate. He is now able to see into other dimensions, as well as alternate  
  
realities. Normally, it would take a person a few days to become accustomed to the sight. In this case though, it will only take a few hours. I advise to stay with him until then. So mote it be " the figure said before fading out in a flash of white. 


	3. Awaken Anew

Chapter 3- Awaken anew  
  
Cole could here murmurs through his half-sleep. He could here a mingling of voices. After a few minutes of listening to the confusion, he was able to sort out a few of the voices. One, to his surprise was of Phoebe, her sisters and Leo. Others were different. Not only in the tone, but also in the actual voices. They seemed muffled like they were being said through a really crappy built wall. He tried opening his eyes, but he found he was too tired to open them. He got about half way, then his eyes fell shut.  
  
"Is he awake?" somebody to his to his right said.  
  
Suddenly, his mind was thrown into a dozen different dimensions and realities. The pain was too much for him as he grabbed his head in pain and rolled off the couch.  
  
"What happened?" someone said. As the person got closer, he felt like she was familiar and he curled into the fetal position next to her. As he felt her arms wrap around him, he breathed in her familiar scent and just relax. He suddenly felt a horrible pain coming over him again.  
  
"Get Get away" Cole gasped through the pain. He crawled away from her because he was afraid he'd hurt her from trying to get away from the pain.  
  
"Cole" Phoebe started, then stopped.  
  
"No how could you get out what's" Cole mumbled as he gripped his head harder. He was digging so deep, he drew a small amount of blood. As he saw scenes from different dimensions and realities, his emotions ran wild. He saw himself, with Phoebe, and his daughter. He saw Phoebe, as the Source, and him having to kill her. He saw all of humanity being destroyed, and humanity reaching a level of such purity. His heart wrenched between all the scenes, plunging Cole into a state of confusion. He began to rock furiously.  
  
Phoebe stared at Cole, rocking back and forward, his eyes darting from left to right in his sockets.  
  
"What's going on Leo? What did he accept? And what the hell was that guy in the white get up talking about? Leo?" Phoebe asked desperately of Leo.  
  
"Well, I stopped by on the way here, when Paige called me. It seems that the powers that Cole received from the wasteland had advanced" Leo said, relaying what the Elders had told him.  
  
"Advanced?" Phoebe repeated, slightly afraid. After all, she was determined not to let Cole hurt anyone else.  
  
"Yeah, but that's just the beginning of it. It seems that a higher power of good, had seen Cole. When you weren't able to vanquish him, they decided to offer him something," Leo said, taking a breath.  
  
"Something? C'mon Leo, spill" Piper said impatiently.  
  
"Well, there is a gate to a hellish demon dimension. The gate needed a guardian in order to guard a great evil trapped inside. The only problem is that the last 5 guardians had died trying to protect it. When they saw how powerful Cole was, they thought he would be strong enough to protect it" Leo said sighing.  
  
The three sisters stared at Leo in disbelief. They then turned to Cole's figure that was huddled in a corner of his apartment. Then they turned back to Leo. It was Phoebe who spoke up first.  
  
"Why would they trust Cole? Don't they know that he's evil?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly on the word 'evil'.  
  
"Well, it seems that 'they' think he's worthy enough to be trusted" Leo answered solemnly. The sisters continued to stare at Leo, and then Cole, and then back to Leo.  
  
"What did the guy mean that Cole would be able to look into different realms and realities, Leo?" Paige asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure Paige. I'll go ask" Leo said before orbing out.  
  
"Well, then I guess we have to stay here with him. I don't want to be responsible if he becomes loose like that" Phoebe said referring to Cole's condition.  
  
Throughout the whole conversation, Cole kept rocking back and forth, watching the different scenes play before his eyes. 


	4. Visitor

Chapter 4- Visitor  
  
It had been a few hours since Leo had orbed out to console with the Elders. Cole had fallen into an uneasy sleep where the different realities and realms melded together.  
  
"What is taking him so long?" Piper asked to no one in particular. She was getting impatient, wanting to find some answers. Her sisters were feeling quite the some way.  
  
"Ugh" Cole grumbled underneath his breath.  
  
"Cole" Phoebe asked cautiously.  
  
"Uh Phoebe? What are you doing here?" Cole asked tiredly. The last few hours since the ceremony had been a blur. He could barely remember what happened during the ceremony.Suddenly, he realized that the white figure had said the Haliwell sisters were his witnesses.  
  
"Oh, God" Cole said rubbing his temples. All of a sudden, he jerked as his vision cleared of his surroundings of his penthouse, to strangely enough, the manor.  
  
"What the" Cole started and suddenly, he was pulled back to his penthouse where Phoebe, Piper, and Paige were looking at him with a mix of emotions.  
  
"Cole what just happened?" Phoebe asked staring at Cole who looked like he had a premonition.  
  
"I-I I don't know" Cole answered confused.  
  
"I know what happened" a young voice answered. Cole snapped his head up, looking wildly around. At first, white-bluish orbs appeared, signaling Leo was coming in.  
  
"Leo! Hold on, what's going on? And who was that we just heard?" Piper asked accusingly at her husband. Leo just looked at his wife blankly, not knowing how to introduce his visitor.  
  
"You just heard me, " A voice said before a young girl came from a small curtain of light blue. She had raven black hair with piercing blue eyes and she had a nice golden tan that complemented her nicely. Her hair was cut a little further from the bottom of her ears.As Phoebe looked her over, she couldn't have been more than that of 12, 13 years old. She was dressed in a plain dark blue T-shirt with black pants.  
  
"Just who might you be?" Paige asked looking the girl over. She had a 'who the hell are you, and should we care?' kind of tone. Behind the girl, Leo was doing a 'cut it out' signal with his hands franticly looking to see if she noticed.  
  
"It's alright Leo, she has a right to know who I am" she answered calmly. She seemed to have an aura that screamed 'listen to me and obey'. "Uh, would you like to introduce me to the Charmed Ones, Leo?" she asked, smiling to herself looking over her shoulder towards Leo.  
  
"Oh, uh sorry. Um do you remember when I said there was a hierarchy up 'there'?" Leo asked, looking a little uncomfortable around the young girl.  
  
"Uh, yeah, what about it?" Phoebe asked, her gaze never leaving the girl.  
  
"Well, she's one of the bosses of the bosses of my bosses" Leo said looking down. That just left the three sisters gawking. Cole had too large of a headache to really care. He was really only half listening to the conversation.  
  
"You're you're" Piper stuttered.  
  
"C'mon, keep going with the sentence. I'm, I'm, what?" the girl asked, with a little bit of boredom.  
  
"Huh, cool" Paige said grinning. The girl looked towards Paige. At first Paige was scared she had done something wrong. She was thoroughly relieved when the blue-eyed girl grinned in return.  
  
"Don't act all 'oh my gosh'. It's kinda annoying. I'm not really one for that. Maybe a few of my colleagues, but, they weren't sent on this very unique case" she said glancing at Cole.  
  
"Ah, the reason why I'm here" she said taking a few steps toward Cole. Only then did he actually look up at the girl. His breath stopped, as he looked her over. He felt enormous power radiating from every pore of her small body. He stood up quickly, though a little too quickly.  
  
"Whoa, Cole, you need to sit down and rest a little bit. You've gone through quite a bit, eh?" she said catching him before he collapsed. She was pretty strong for her size and outward age.  
  
"Excuse me, not to be rude or anything, but, uh, why are you here?" Phoebe asked walking to the side of Cole, assisting her.  
  
"Ah, I'm guessing no one told the Elders of my assignment, huh, Leo?" The girl asked Leo. He simply shook his head. "Uh, figures. Well, I guess, first I should tell you what my name is" she said grinning. Phoebe for some reason immediately liked her. She didn't know why, but she felt connected to her. "Well many people call me many things. I guess uh you could call me Kara " she said, as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.  
  
"You also know that Cole has taken up an assignment. I'll answer any and all questions that I'm allowed to answer."  
  
"Okay. Um why did 'they' pick Cole to guard this gate?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Well, you know how powerful he is. Oh, and if you're thinking that he's evil, then I never would have voted for him" she replied turning to Phoebe.  
  
"What do you mean voted?" Paige asked.  
  
"Well you see, we have something you might think of as a council, with an odd number of members. Usually, were cut right down the middle on issues. I usually get stuck with the tie breaker. I looked over Cole's case. True he has a habit of, let's say, making mistakes. Though I usually base my judgements on the heart, soul, mind and actions of the person in question " she said, taking a breath. "From what I heard, saw and felt from Cole, he was the right choice."  
  
Phoebe listened to every word the young girl said. She paused for a few seconds to let it sink in.  
  
"What are these things that I'm seeing?" Cole asked desperately. For the first time, he spoke in the conversation.  
  
"Well, those scenes that you are seeing, are actually windows into different realities. That was the main reason why I was sent here. You see I was to help and guide you until you can control your newly acquired abilities " she said smiling brightly at Cole. She seemed to really like him for someone reason.  
  
"Ah, it hurts sometimes," Cole said, lightly running his right hand through his black hair.  
  
"Well, that's normal, so don't worry about it. Usually, people who become the Guardian, are slightly insane for the first couple of days. I'm impressed, you can form words and think clearly. I knew you were a good choice " she said, still smiling.  
  
"Now it's getting kind of late, and I've got to make all of you people sleep." Leo and the sisters were about to orb out, when Kara stopped him.  
  
"Leo, I need to talk to you tomorrow, so, do you think you could stop by here in the morning?" Kara asked looking at Leo questioningly.  
  
"Um, sure. Are you going to stay here with Cole?" Leo asked in disbelief. To put such a high-ranking person from up 'there' in the care of a demon was just insane. It made shivers run down his spine. When he saw the look on her face, he knew the answer.  
  
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon," she said. Leo than orbed out.  
  
"C'mon Cole, you've got to get to bed," Kara said as she struggled to help him towards the bed.  
  
"Wait, when are we gonna start practicing?" Cole asked sleepily. "We'll discuss it tomorrow, " she said.  
  
"Fine" he replied simply. 


	5. Training

Chapter 5- Training  
  
The next day at the manor:  
  
"Hey Phoebe, what do you think about the whole Cole situation?" Paige asked as her older sister ate her breakfast. "  
  
Well, I'm not sure about Cole, but I'm sure we could trust Kara" Phoebe answered looking up from her bowl.  
  
"Yeah, I agree with you there Pheebs" Piper replied. Just then, Leo orbed in. He came over and kissed Piper good morning.  
  
"Hi honey" he greeted Piper.  
  
"Good morning" Piper said.  
  
"So, where were you this morning?" Paige asked.  
  
"Um, I was at Cole's" Leo replied.  
  
"Cole's? Why?" Phoebe asked looking up from her bowl again a little surprised.  
  
"Well, Kara asked me to see her in the morning today. As you heard, she was going to train Cole to use the gate to his advantage" Leo said looking at Phoebe.  
  
"Yeah, so? What does that have to do with us?" Paige said.  
  
"Well since you three are Cole's witnesses, at least one of you has to be there when he trains," Leo said.  
  
"Okay. I have one question though, how is she supposed to train him. She's only like 13 and he's like 100" Paige asked of Leo.  
  
"Oh, she may look only 13, but she's more like 500 years old" Leo said taking a bite out of his breakfast that Piper had just given him.  
  
"Whoa, how does she do it? I'd love to know her secret" Piper said smiling.  
  
"Yeah, me too" Phoebe said grinning back at her sister.  
  
"Now, which one of you is going to watch Cole today?" Leo said looking at the three sisters.  
  
"Well, I can't today, because I've got to go to the club and do some things. Phoebe, Paige?" Piper said.  
  
"I can't do it today either. I've got this spell and potion that I've got to do today, or I won't be able to try it out for the next 20 years. Phoebe, aren't you off today?" Paige said looking at her. Everyone looked at her and she held her hands up in surrender.  
  
"Oh fine. I'll watch him today. When do we have to go?" Phoebe asked Leo.  
  
"Um, in about an hour" Leo answered Phoebe. Phoebe nodded in response. At  
  
Cole's penthouse:  
  
Cole woke up from his sleep when the sunlight shone on his eyes.  
  
"Ugh, the sun just had to rise today didn't it?" he asked to himself.  
  
"Well of course it had to. It would be a really bad sign if it didn't" a girl said from a corner of his room.  
  
"What the? Oh, yeah, you" Cole said remembering what happened last night.  
  
"Yes, me" she replied smiling. Cole somehow seemed relaxed around her as if he had known her his whole life.  
  
"Just exactly who are you?" Cole asked too tired to include the formal stuff that would normally come with the girl's title.  
  
"I'm the one who was sent to help you train. As you already know, you've got a few new abilities when you accepted that gate" she answered.  
  
"Ah.." Cole said falling back onto his pillow.  
  
"Now unfortunately, you have to get up out of that bed," she said as she pulled him upright by his arm.  
  
"Ugh" Cole grumbled wanting to go back to sleep.  
  
"Do you want to be caught in bed when Leo and Phoebe come to witness your training?" Kara said grinning knowing that would get his attention.  
  
"What?" Cole said snapping awake. Why was Phoebe coming here to witness his training? He thought to himself.  
  
"Well, you see, when you train with me for the gate, you need one of your witnesses present to watch. I already knew for a fact that Phoebe was the only one of the three Charmed Ones who was free today" Kara said smiling at her little joke.  
  
"Fine. I'll get up and get ready" Cole grumbled as he got out of bed.  
  
"Alright. When you're done, I'll have breakfast waiting for you" she said as he stood up. "Oh, and Phoebe will be coming in about an hour!" Kara yelled at his retreating back.  
  
45 minutes later.  
  
"You can just relax until Phoebe and Leo get here. You'll be wrapping your brain around all of the things I have to teach you soon enough " Kara said as Cole got up from eating.  
  
"Okay. Thanks for the breakfast. You're a pretty good cook," Cole said commenting on the very well prepared breakfast.  
  
"Thank you, I practice" Kara said. Cole smiled at that thought.  
  
"What? What's so funny?" Kara asked spotting his smile.  
  
"Oh, nothing. It's just kind of funny to think that you actually practice cooking up 'there'" Cole said looking upwards.  
  
"Well, yeah. I guess it would be kind of funny from your point of view," Kara said as she sat next to Cole. They turned to each other and they burst out laughing.  
  
After a few minutes of laughing out loud, Leo and Phoebe orbed in. Cole and Kara were still laughing, and they quieted down when they turned towards Leo and Phoebe who were watching them.  
  
"Were we interrupting something?" Leo asked looking from Kara to Cole.  
  
"Oh no. We were just getting to know each other " Kara said looking towards Leo. Kara glanced back at Cole, and they were both still smiling.  
  
"Okay, now we have to work" Kara said standing up.  
  
"I agree" Cole said, also standing up. Phoebe looked at the both of them. Cole's 6'2 was a towering height compared to Kara's 4'11. Yet they both looked alike somehow. Phoebe just couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to shrug it off and think about it later.  
  
"So, what are we going to do first? You never exactly elaborated what we had to do. You just said go to sleep and we'd talk about it in the morning" Cole said looking at Kara questioningly.  
  
"Well, we are not going to start off with your physical powers that you got from the gate. You first need to know all the information and other things about the gate. The rules, the dangers, all of your duties and other things like that. The rest escapes me at the moment. Wasn't it you who thought that knowledge was power?" Kara asked.  
  
"Yeah, but how'd you." Cole started but was cut off by Kara's hand that went up.  
  
"Let's just say that I have my sources" Kara said, showing that she truly did know more then she showed.  
  
"Now, you may want to know why you have to be here" Kara said abruptly turning to Phoebe.  
  
"Well, yeah, I guess so" Phoebe said startled.  
  
"Yeah, well there's this stupid rule that says that one of his witnesses has to be in attendance during Cole's training. I mean I understand and all. In case Cole is unable to perform his duties, then one of his witnesses can step in. But I mean the whole hassle, you know, of setting up times and places to do the session. It's just irritating. We could've at least limited the number of witnesses to like two!" Kara said. Her last exclamation she directed up to the ceiling.  
  
"So, um, I've got like one more question" Phoebe said.  
  
"Shoot" Kara replied looking back down to Phoebe.  
  
"Uh, how long is this going to take? 'Cause you know" Phoebe said. She took a quick glance at Cole. She had a pleading look in her eyes that begged, 'please know what I'm talking about'.  
  
"Don't worry about it Phoebe. I know what you're talking about. It will only take an hour or less because this is the first lesson " Kara said understandingly. She signaled Phoebe to bend down.  
  
"Make sure you two play nice. The world is kind of counting on you four" she whispered including her sisters. Kara glanced at the clock that was standing on a small ledge. "Besides, I think Cole here needs to go to work soon, like in an hour or so" Kara said knowingly, straightening from talking to Phoebe.  
  
"What? I don't want to go to work. I like took a week or so off" Cole said annoyed.  
  
"Yeah. You already used up your week Cole. We don't want anyone getting suspicious. So you will have to go to work soon" Kara said putting her hands on her hips which seemed so out of character for her.  
  
"Ugh. You're right. Wait. How do you know when I go to work?" Cole asked looking at her.  
  
"Well let's just say I keep tabs on you" Kara answered grinning. She got serious and clapped her hands, shaking off the fun atmosphere.  
  
"Okay, let's get started. You guys may want to sit down. This can get really boring. I don't mind if Leo falls asleep, but you two," she said pointing at Cole and Phoebe, "have to stay awake." Phoebe let out a sigh. She was getting a feeling that it was going to be a boring hour. She sat down and gave her attention to Kara. 


	6. So, What Happened?

Chapter-6 So, What Happened?  
  
About an hour later, Kara suddenly snapped her fingers and they were done.  
  
The time for some reason seemed distorted and it seemed like only a moment.  
  
"That's it?" Phoebe asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, that's it. You alright Cole?" Kara asked looking at Cole who just stared into space blankly.  
  
"Uh, huh" Cole replied.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Phoebe asked waving her hand in front of his face.  
  
All of a sudden he snapped awake and looked around.  
  
"Huh?" Cole questioned.  
  
"Hmm.I guess it took him a little while to process the information," Kara said thinking out loud. "Okay, we're done. I'm sure you want to get out of here now," Kara said talking to Phoebe.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I have to do a few errands anyway," she said distracted. She got up from the couch and turned towards the door.  
  
"Um, Phoebe?" Kara said amused.  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked as she turned back around.  
  
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Kara said, indicating Leo.  
  
"Oh, God! I forgot about him! Did he fall asleep?" Phoebe asked laughing at herself.  
  
"Well, I kind of made him go to sleep. I didn't want anyone but the witness, you, and Cole to receive the info. I just gave you" Kara said still smiling.  
  
Phoebe noticed that Kara really smiled a lot. Usually, she would think that someone was weird if they smiled and were too perky all the time. But with Kara, it seemed natural.  
  
"Alright, I guess we better go. Leo! C'mon, up, up!" Phoebe said patting Leo on the arm to wake him up.  
  
"Huh? Phoebe, are we done?" Leo asked getting up.  
  
"Yeah. We better go now. Uh, thanks Kara, for whatever you did" she said to Kara. Even though she had no idea what Kara exactly did because she couldn't really tell what happened in the past hour.  
  
"You're welcome. Oh, and don't worry if you don't remember. When the time comes, you and Cole will remember what I just taught you" Kara said, fully knowing that Phoebe had no idea what Kara had shared with her in the hour.  
  
Phoebe stole one more nervous glance at Cole. He had been quiet through the whole conversation with Kara. Her caution towards him had been rekindled when the comfort of Kara's conversation disappeared.  
  
Just as Leo was about to orb the both of them out, Phoebe saw Kara go over to Cole and try to drag him to the bathroom to get ready for work. Cole struggled playfully, but eventually succumbed to Kara's constant tugging.  
  
Phoebe smiled at this as she felt the familiar pull of Leo's orb back to the manor.  
  
Back at the manor:  
  
About an hour later after Leo and Phoebe left for Cole's penthouse, Piper was sitting down to relax though the baby was preventing that. Paige was constantly pacing back and forth. She was afraid of Cole. Not of Cole particularly, but of what he might do to Phoebe.  
  
"Paige, would you quit pacing? You're going to make me hurl," Piper said, referring to the baby who seemed to make her sick and invincible at the same time.  
  
"Oh, sorry honey. It's just you know, this whole Guardian thing. We were trying to keep ourselves distanced from Cole, and now, we're his witnesses to some crazy thing that Cole accepted to. And what was up with that little girl last night?" Paige said, starting to become infuriated just thinking about Cole.  
  
"Did you know you ramble when you're nervous, like Phoebe?" Piper asked still trying not to throw up. It was one of those days where she felt terrible.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I know I'm not really helping or anything, but it's just, ah! It's so frustrating having to be part of his life again. If I feel like this, imagine how Phoebe must feel!" Paige said trying to make Piper see her point.  
  
"Well, yes. I do get what you're saying. But it's up to Phoebe. We need to let her feel what she feels. I've learned that about Phoebe. You can't affect how she feels about someone. Phoebe and only Phoebe can make or change an opinion of someone" Piper said. Paige just stared at her blankly.  
  
"What?" Piper asked.  
  
"Are you sure that baby isn't rubbing some of her white-lighter common sense onto you?" Paige asked as a smile broke onto her lips.  
  
"Hey," Piper said as she threw a piece of the cracker she was nibbling on.  
  
They both smiled at each other. It just showed how close the two half- sisters had bonded.  
  
Bluish-white orbs began to appear that signaled Leo and Phoebe's return.  
  
"Wow, you're back earlier than we expected. We thought you'd be gone for a while. If I'd known you'd be back so soon, me or Paige would've gone for you," Piper said.  
  
"Oh, no, I'm kind of glad that I went. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm glad" Phoebe said trying to remember exactly what happened.  
  
"So, Phoebe, what exactly did happen?" Paige asked interested.  
  
"Well, I actually don't remember that much," Phoebe said still trying to remember what had happened during the hour that seemed to disappear.  
  
"Well, if you don't remember, how 'bout you Leo? Do you remember anything?" Piper asked turning towards her husband.  
  
"Actually, I fell asleep," Leo said blushing slightly.  
  
"You fell asleep?" Paige asked astonished.  
  
"Okay, does anyone think something's wrong here. No one can remember what happened in that hour that passed. What did Kara say?" Piper asked Phoebe.  
  
"Well, she seemed like she knew that I wouldn't remember it. I think she was responsible for putting Leo to sleep. She said that I would remember when the time was right. What do you think that meant?" Phoebe asked turning to Piper and Leo.  
  
"Well, I think that when the time arrives, you'll know what to do," Leo said trying to help sort out what happened.  
  
"I wonder what she told Cole," Phoebe said out loud. She meant only to think it to herself and didn't realize she had said it out loud until Paige spoke up.  
  
"Why would you want to know what Cole learned?" Paige said not believing that Phoebe would want to know more than she had to when it came to Cole.  
  
"Well, it took Cole a little longer than me to snap out of it. Kara had commented that it had taken Cole longer to process all of the info. she had given him. What kind of info. did she give him and how?" Phoebe asked. Similar questions swirled through the others as they stood in silence.  
  
In Cole's office:  
  
"Mr. Turner?" Cole's secretary asked as she came in, not wanting to disturb him.  
  
"Yes, Kathryn?" he said looking up from his portfolio.  
  
"Here's your coffee that you wanted and it's good to see you again. You didn't seem to well when you filed for that week off," she commented.  
  
"I wasn't feeling to good. You know, my whole divorce," Cole replied.  
  
"Oh, I know how that is. I had one like about a month ago," she said setting down his coffee.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that" Cole said sympathetically.  
  
"Ah, it's alright. I'm over it," she said, waving her hand to accent that she was over the guy.  
  
"Oh, and you have line 1 waiting for you. I believe it's your ex-wife," she said.  
  
"Oh" Cole said simply, not knowing what to say to her.  
  
"I'll just leave you know" she said exiting quietly. He smiled. He was glad that he knew someone that actually cared about what happened in his personal life.  
  
"Cole Turner" he said putting the phone to his mouth.  
  
"Cole" Phoebe answered over the receiver.  
  
"Phoebe" he smiled. Hearing her voice was always a pleasure, though not always what she had to say.  
  
"Cole, I only called to find out what Kara told you" Phoebe asked bluntly.  
  
"So, no cynical remark about me being evil? No verbal boxing match?" Cole said, sighing. He really missed those days when Phoebe would just say I love you and he'd reply back.  
  
"No. I just want to know what she told you" Phoebe said in an icy tone.  
  
"Fine. I don't remember" Cole said exaggerating each word.  
  
"Huh, so you don't remember either," Phoebe said to herself, though Cole heard.  
  
"What you mean that you don't remember either?" Cole asked.  
  
"Nope" Phoebe said curtly. After that she hung up not wanting to keep answering his questions.  
  
Cole let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his temples. Cole pushed a button on the intercom to Katherine.  
  
"Katherine, I'm gonna go out, so hold my calls" he said as he got his coat off the rack.  
  
"Sure, when do you think you'll be back?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, make it in about an hour" Cole answered back. With that, he blurred out.  
  
Back in the manor:  
  
After Phoebe had hung up the phone, she stared down at the wooden floorboards for a few minutes absorbing, trying to make sense of what she had just learned.  
  
"Paige, Piper, Leo, I need to get some fresh air!" Phoebe yelled up the stairs to the attic.  
  
"Okay honey! Where are you going?!" Piper yelled back down.  
  
"I'm going out for a walk. You know, to clear my head. Is that okay?" Phoebe asked as her sister poked her head from the staircase.  
  
"Oh, sure, just be back in about an hour, okay?" Piper asked.  
  
"Alright. See ya," Phoebe said grabbing her purse and coat. 


	7. Unscheduled Encounter, Or Was It?

Chapter-7  
  
Unscheduled Encounter.Or was it?  
  
Phoebe walked, going along a small park close to the manor. She liked this park, mainly because it brought back a lot of memories. Like when the whole family, including Cole had come here to relax after they defeated Yen Lo. The thought of Cole brought tears of sadness. She quickly brushed them away.  
  
'God, I miss him so much' she thought.  
  
Thinking of Cole distracted her and she wasn't looking where she was going. She bumped into a man accidentally.  
  
"Oh, sorry" the man replied.  
  
"No, I'm." Phoebe began, but she recognized the voice. She nearly gasped in surprise when she saw the handsome face she had just been thinking about.  
  
"Phoebe" Cole breathed out. He had been out by this park to clear his mind.  
  
Though this particular park brought to many memories. And all those memories surrounded the woman who was in front of him. "God, she looks so perfect' he thought as he stared into her face.  
  
Phoebe on the other hand soon got over her surprise and she became infuriated.  
  
"Cole! What are you doing here? What are you stalking me now?" Phoebe asked. She was deadly mad at him. If he had turned evil again, she wouldn't know what to do. She would vanquish him, but her failed attempt the other night proved she couldn't.  
  
"No, of course not. I was just around here walking. Trying to clear my mind," Cole said trying to defend himself. Though he was still madly in love with her, he was starting to get irritated like hell every time she accused him.  
  
"So, you just happened to walk in this park?" Phoebe asked, in total disbelief.  
  
Cole couldn't answer Phoebe because he really didn't know why on Earth, heaven or hell he chose this park.  
  
"Well, I think I kind of had something to do with that," a voice said.  
  
Cole spun around, and looked from left to right, expecting a fight. He really didn't know why, no one could really hurt him anymore anyway. Phoebe had mirrored Cole's reaction though the other direction.  
  
"Oh, relax. It's not like I'm gonna attack you. Though I am happy that the info. and reflexes I put are working," Kara said as she stepped from a curtain of light blue light.  
  
Cole let down his defense posture. He was looking at Kara confused. Phoebe was pissed off and her look towards her showed it.  
  
"What?! You're telling me that you had something to do with this?" Phoebe asked not believing it.  
  
"I'm not as mad as Phoebe here, but, why are we here Kara?" Cole asked calmly of Kara.  
  
"Well, I needed a private moment with the two of you. I didn't want anyone else to know about it. Not your sisters or Leo," Kara explained turning to Phoebe.  
  
"But how." Cole started but was intercepted.  
  
"How did I get you two here?," Kara said, " Oh, remember that whole lesson this morning?"  
  
Cole and Phoebe nodded.  
  
"Well, I included a small impulse for you two to suddenly need a walk. I just planted the idea of here and Kara said making a 'so here we are' movement with her hand.  
  
"Oh. Wait. There was something I was planning on asking you when I got home from work. How did you do that lesson anyway? We can't seem to remember what you taught us," Cole asked suddenly remembering.  
  
"Yeah, how did you do that anyway?" Phoebe asked. As much as she distrusted Cole, she still agreed with him.  
  
"Oh, well, I just kind of put the information inside you're cortexes. The information is floating around in there. It'll come out as reflexes, feelings, instincts, etc. etc. It's a lot easier than having you to memorize the stuff. A whole lot quicker too," Kara explained. Cole and Phoebe just stared at her.  
  
They both knew it took a lot of magic to be able to do that. To actually plant information and connect them to the brain as impulses was very difficult. It just proved further that she was very powerful, magic wise.  
  
"Uh huh. So, why did you want us here," Cole said, indicating Phoebe.  
  
"Well, there was the little matter of the connection between you four," Kara said.  
  
"Wait, connection? What connection?" Phoebe asked. The thought of being connected to Cole sent shivers down her back. Though in the back of her mind, she kind of liked the idea.  
  
"Well, since you and your sisters are Cole's witnesses, you four are connected. I thought you would have known that. I mean you would be connected by this particular magic. Did you forget what happened when you were connected to Bo Lightfeather and Cole help save you?" Kara asked, thoroughly astonished. She thought that they would've remembered that incident.  
  
"Well, if it involved him, I've been trying to suppress those memories," Phoebe said glancing at Cole.  
  
"Now, wait a minute Phoebe. Don't be." Cole started but was quieted by Kara.  
  
"Stop! You two would bicker even more if I weren't here to referee. Personally, it's just stupid. I mean, you two are like soul mates. Phoebe, would you just get over it already? Sure, he made a few mistakes," Kara said. Phoebe looked at Kara.  
  
"A few mistakes?" Phoebe said accenting few.  
  
"Okay, a lot. But, Phoebe, c'mon, he's not perfect. There's been only one guy who's actually ever been perfect. That'd be Jesus. He's not him. Give him a break, like what I said in our conversation before I did the lesson, remember?" Kara said, looking at Phoebe with a 'so what' look.  
  
Phoebe was once again caught speechless.  
  
"Okay. What were you going to say about this bond that the four of us share?" Cole said coming in between the two.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Well, you see, since your souls were bonded in your marriage, though however short it was, makes the bond between you two even stronger," Kara said smiling at what that means.  
  
Cole thought about that solemnly while Phoebe stared in horror. She was trying to separate herself from Cole, not get closer.  
  
"So, what does that mean?" Phoebe asked, barely making it out.  
  
"Well, you'd be able to sense each others feelings, injuries, anything like that. It would allow you to guard the gate a little better. Phoebe will always be the first to sense if something was wrong with the gate along with Cole," Kara said, still smiling. Usually, Phoebe liked that smile, but at that moment, she was just pissed at it.  
  
"WHAT!" Phoebe exclaimed. Cole bit back a smile that was about to erupt over his face.  
  
"So, why can't we feel each other now?" Cole asked quietly.  
  
"Well, the connection takes about a day to connect, so very soon," Kara smiled at the things that might happen.  
  
"Wha.wha.Ugh! I have a headache," Phoebe said sitting down on a bench that was close to the walkway.  
  
"Well, that was all I really wanted to say. We will begin the physical training tomorrow. Oh, and you'll be the witness Phoebe," Kara said before she turned to leave.  
  
"Wait, why? I thought we could switch with the other witnesses?" Phoebe said getting up quickly.  
  
"Oh, no. I need to train you two first. The info. has already been passed onto your sisters because, well, you're sisters. I planned on doing the physical training separately with the other two," Kara said. With that she left without another word.  
  
"Ugh," Phoebe grumbled again.  
  
Cole looked at his watch and noticed that he had to get back.  
  
"Well, I have to get back now. I guess I'll see you at the next training session," Cole said. As he turned, he let out the smile that he had been holding back. He took out a CD player and began singing along to the song:  
  
In this darkness, I'm alive, but I'm alone,  
  
Part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone.  
  
So hold me when I'm here, love me when I'm gone,  
  
Hold me when I'm scared, love me when I'm gone,  
  
Everything I am, everything in me,  
  
Must have been the one you wanted me to be,  
  
I'd never let you down, even if I could,  
  
Give up everything, if only for your good.  
  
Phoebe recognized the song as 'When I'm Gone' by 3 doors down. She smirked at his choice of song as she watched him blur back to his office. She then found herself feeling these different emotions. She shrugged them off, and decided to go back to the manor. 


	8. How Do I Feel?

Chapter-8 How Do I Feel?  
  
The next day, Phoebe was still thinking about her conversation with Kara.  
  
She decided not to tell her sisters and Leo about it. She didn't want them fawning and worrying over her, probably for nothing. The thing that she was most confused about was her feelings toward her connection with Cole. She didn't seem too angry about it. She actually felt pretty happy with it.  
  
'No, I can't think like that. I can't let him hurt me or my sisters again' she thought. '..Admit, you still want him' another voice whispered.  
  
"Hello. Earth to Phoebe! You're going to need to heat that back up again if you stare into that coffee any longer," Paige said waving her hand in front of Phoebe's face. She just seemed to blank out as she stared into her cup of coffee.  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry." Phoebe said, going back to her breakfast.  
  
"Are you alright? You seem to just space out at times ever since you came back from that walk yesterday. I mean, you came home and went up to your room without a hi or anything," Paige asked, concerned for her older sister.  
  
"I'm fine Paige. It's just nothing," Phoebe said, deciding not to tell her.  
  
"Okay. So, when do I have to go over and do that lesson at Cole's?" Paige asked, disgusted at the thought of having to go over to Cole's.  
  
"What? Oh, you don't have to go over there today. For the information that Kara had given me yesterday, you already have it along with Piper. Kara had said that she wanted to train Cole and me first. She would do you and Piper separately," Phoebe said distractedly.  
  
"Oh. How do you know that I know already? I don't even know," Paige said.  
  
"Yeah, neither do I. So how do you?" Piper asked, joining them at the table.  
  
"Oh, she told me yesterday," Phoebe answered.  
  
"During the lesson?" Paige asked.  
  
"No." Phoebe trailed off, forgetting that she didn't want to tell them what happened in the park. She stopped herself just in time.  
  
"Well, then, when?" Piper asked pressing the matter.  
  
"Um, I've got to go to work," Phoebe said making up an excuse to leave.  
  
"Alright," Piper said.  
  
"What do you think is wrong?" Paige asked of Piper across the table.  
  
"I don't know, but I think it has something to do with her walk yesterday," Piper replied, looking at her little sister thoughtfully, as she walked away.  
  
Cole's Penthouse  
  
"Cole, are you going to work today, or are you just going to sleep?" Kara asked leaning on the doorframe.  
  
"Ugh, can I take door number two?" he responded into his pillow.  
  
"Ah, why not? You've got your first day of physical training today with Phoebe anyway. You should rest," Kara said turning towards the living room.  
  
"Hey, Kara? Are you sure you don't want to use my bed instead? I could always use the couch. I mean, someone as important as you should be treated with as much comfort as possible," Cole said smiling in a mocking tone.  
  
"Well, I don't want to impose on you," Kara said poking her head in.  
  
"Why don't we just share the bed? I mean, I can just divide it if you want," Cole suggested, this time with sincerity.  
  
Kara looked at Cole, taking in a few considerations that no one else knew about. She then just nodded her head. Cole moved over to one side and set one of his pillows in the middle of the bed. He got up and took a blanket from the closet.  
  
"Are you sleepy now?" Cole asked, noticing that Kara had yawned a couple times that morning.  
  
"Well, a little. I had to stay up late to do something." Kara trailed off. She didn't really want to tell Cole what she'd been up to.  
  
Cole took the hint and left it alone.  
  
"Why don't you lay down and catch a few winks. I can make my own breakfast," Cole said, seeing how Kara was about to say that. He seemed to be able to predict what she was about to do or say. Again, he felt an odd bond with her, yet couldn't quite put his finger on it.  
  
"Fine. Though from what I've seen you eat, I'm worried about what you're going to eat," Kara said grinning.  
  
"Hey," Cole grinned back, throwing a small pillow at her.  
  
"Ah," she said in surprise. She grabbed the pillow and threw it back at him. After a few minutes of pillow throwing, they collapsed onto the bed still laughing. For someone so important on the side of good, he felt completely at ease with Kara. He glanced at her happy face. He saw something so familiar, yet different. He didn't want to think about it at that moment, so he shook it off and went back to enjoying the moment.  
  
"You know what?" Cole asked as he turned to Kara who was still smiling. He thought, 'I love it when she's smiling'.  
  
"What is it Cole?" Kara asked turning to him, locking her deep blue eyes with his, almost exactly.  
  
"I haven't felt this happy since." Cole said as he felt a wave of sadness come over him as he remembered Phoebe.  
  
"Don't worry Cole. I know what's happened between you two. When you had met Phoebe, 'we', well most of us, were happy. Both of you were like two beacons of love that we haven't seen in a while. I personally rejoiced a lot. Though I have my own personal reasons why, and I won't tell you," Kara said playfully wagging her finger at him as she saw him open his mouth to speak.  
  
"How do you do that?" Cole asked as he watched her finger. It reminded him of how Phoebe used to wag her finger at him.  
  
"Do what?" Kara asked looking questioningly at Cole.  
  
"Seem to know what I'm about to say," Cole said.  
  
"Well, let's just say that we have a certain bond," Kara said turning. Cole didn't really understand what exactly that meant so he dropped it. After a few minutes of silence, Cole looked over his shoulder and noticed that Kara, for some unknown reason, was shivering.  
  
"Are you alright?" Cole asked concerned.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine," Kara replied simply.  
  
"You don't seem fine, here," Cole said scooting over. Kara accepted his offer and scooted over also, as Cole pulled the pillow that separated them to their heads. Kara curled up like a little baby in Cole's arms. For some reason, Cole got a feeling of rightness. It seemed like she belonged in his arms. It was like she was family. No that's impossible, he thought. Could it? He looked down at her raven black hair and remembered her deep blue eyes. He again shook the feeling off to think about later. He just indulged himself in the warm feeling that he usually accompanied with Phoebe's presence. Like Phoebe, he felt he needed to protect Kara with all his might. He just didn't know why.  
  
Later on in the day  
  
Cole was walking across the living room. He glanced at the window, which showed that it was a beautiful day. He had gone to get himself and Kara a drink and he was bringing back her coke, when all of a sudden, he felt this searing pain, shoot through his stomach. It was so intense, he fell to his knees and let out a painful moan.  
  
"Cole," Kara called out. Though she hesitated due to a certain rule. 'Damn, the rules. I need to help him' she thought, though she knew what would happen if she did. All she could do was watch in horror as she felt, to a small degree, what was happening to Cole, and most likely Phoebe.  
  
"Kara, what's happening?" Cole gasped out, as he looked up at her helplessly.  
  
At the manor  
  
Phoebe was laughing and enjoying the company of her sisters, when all of a sudden, a searing pain went through her stomach.  
  
"Phoebe, what's happening?" Piper asked, rushing over to her sister.  
  
"I don't know," Phoebe said through all of her pain.  
  
"I bet I know. Cole," Paige said with hatred.  
  
"Ugh!" Phoebe mumbled, unable to say anything else through the pain that continued to shoot through her stomach.  
  
"C'mon, I'll orb you there so we can go kick Cole's ass," Paige said helping Phoebe up.  
  
"Yeah," Phoebe said weakly. Though, somehow she knew that Cole wasn't responsible for this. 


	9. So, What Was That?

Chapter-9 So What Was That?  
  
When Paige had orbed Phoebe and Piper, they were ready to hurt Cole for whatever he might of done. As the sense of Paige's orb died down, Phoebe took a step forward scanning the penthouse for Cole. She saw Kara bent over Cole, who seemed to be in pain. 'I knew he wasn't responsible' Phoebe thought. Her heart rejoiced at this fact, but her mind told her to be cautious. Paige on the other hand just felt like bursting out right on the spot.  
  
"What the hell is happening Cole!" Paige exclaimed, even though she could see pain over his handsome features.  
  
"Paige, would you hush. Cole is going through the first pain he'll have to endure. He's suffering so he can save your asses, not to mention the rest of the world!" Kara hissed at her.  
  
Paige stood silent from the harsh words that came from such a bright girl, who seemed to have changed so much. There was a streak of worry and pain that seemed so alien on her face.  
  
"What's happening Kara?" Phoebe asked, looking from Cole's pained face to Kara's furrowed one.  
  
"I'm sorry Phoebe. I desperately want to help you and Cole at this very moment, but, I just can't" Kara replied desperately. At that moment, she looked like a normal 13 year old girl who was really afraid.  
  
"All I can tell you now is that this is a test," Kara said, snapping Phoebe out of her little world.  
  
"Test? What kind of test?" Piper asked stepping in.  
  
"That I can't tell you. It will begin once Cole has awakened. Then, I must see if the information I had given you in the first lesson had really implanted itself into your cortexes," Kara said looking at Cole sadly. She only knew a fraction of the pain that he was going through.  
  
"What will happen then?" Phoebe asked fearing the answer. As soon as she asked, Cole's eyes flew open and looked around wildly, not sure of where he was. He saw Kara's face and it brought a small amount of relief. Though that relief had been quickly swept away when he saw the look of pain and worry on her face.  
  
"What will happen then?" Phoebe asked fearing the answer.  
  
As soon as she asked, Cole's eyes flew open and looked around wildly, not sure of where he was. He saw Kara's face and it brought a small amount of relief. Though that relief had been quickly swept away when he saw the look of pain and worry on her face.  
  
"Kara, what's happening? What's wrong?" He asked, not wanting anything to hurt her in anyway. Which, by the way, he still had no idea why he felt that way.  
  
Phoebe had noticed the anxiousness and concern in Cole's voice when he talked to Kara. She couldn't quite believe it, but it seemed that she was actually envious of her. She shook her head to clear those thoughts.  
  
"Kara, now will you tell us what's." Phoebe began again, but was cut off by a demon that appeared in a pillar of smoke.  
  
"What the crap?!" Paige exclaimed. They could easily tell he was a demon by the looks of it. Large claws that extended an inch or two. Fangs that gleamed when he grinned wickedly. He also had certain demonic symbols that ran from his face to his arm that Paige recognized as death, destruction and other apocolypse sort of things. Cole quickly stood up and threw two energy balls at him. They merely disappeared in a puff of smoke as Cole and the rest stared in horror.  
  
The only one who didn't seem surprised was the demon who just laughed, and Kara who looked on, hoping that the lesson truly did connect. Paige tried orbing a few objects at him, but that didn't work either. Piper tried to freeze him, but he just took a step forward, unaffected. Phoebe tried to kick him away, but he just caught her foot and flung her back. Everything they tried, didn't seem to work on him.  
  
Phoebe looked on in horror as he kept walking towards Cole. She tried to get back up, but the pain that shot up from her leg told her she had broken it. She looked down and could see blood oozing from a very large cut down her right thigh. As she looked closer, she could she a small piece of bone covered in blood jutting from the cut. Phoebe looked back up at Cole and an emotion she hadn't shown him in a very long time shone through. Love. Cole nearly cried out in pain.  
  
He grabbed his right leg. It seemed that connection that Kara spoke about seemed to be kicking in. 'Wonderful timing', Cole thought sarcastically to himself. As he looked back up to the demon, he saw he that he was drawing closer to him. Suddenly he felt this urge, that told him he desperately needed to get up. Cole fought the pain he felt in his leg and got up. His usual handsome features were contorted into a mask of pain and anger.  
  
Phoebe had seen Cole fall to his knees and grab his right leg. She gasped, suddenly remembering about the slightly stronger bond between Cole and herself. 'NO!' she screamed in her mind. The pain she felt was too much and she couldn't yell out for him to get away. She looked on, dreading what would happen next. As she saw him get up, she thought how could he stand up? The pain that was in her leg prevented her from speaking, let alone stand. And yet, there he was getting up as the demon closed on him. His face was so concentrated, and showed anger and pain.  
  
All of a sudden, Cole brought his left hand up making it face upwards. His right hand made small symbols above his left hand. Cole was thinking, 'what the hell am I doing?' He found that his mouth was moving and a language was coming out that Cole didn't understand. He gave a ragged yell and all of a sudden, the space next to him distorted and began to rip. Soon, there was a savage looking beast standing on it's two hind legs. It was about half of Cole's height, and had piercing yellow eyes. It had two small arms that had wicked looking blades jutting from it's forearm. It had a spiky frill going down from the base of his neck, all the way down to the beginning of it's stubby tail.  
  
Cole looked to his right, and stared at the creature oddly. It looked up at Cole and gave an odd throaty noise. Cole then looked back to the demon that had stopped dead in his tracks once the creature had appeared. The creature then turned it's gaze to the demon and bared it's sharp, fangs. It then lunged at him and drew it's blade across his throat. The demon barely had enough time to give much of a struggle before he lay dead. Phoebe, Piper, Paige, and Cole stared at the lifeless corpse that lay in the middle of the penthouse's carpeting. Kara though was smiling with relief.  
  
All of a sudden, the corpse burned up and there was no trace left of him except for their memories. The odd little creature was still there and it went back to Cole's side and gave out a little cheep. He looked back up at  
  
Cole and saw that there was no more danger anymore. Another distortion appeared, followed by a rip in the space. The little creature hopped back into the rip in space/time, which closed immediately.  
  
No one said anything for a few minutes. Phoebe even forgot she was still on the floor with a broken leg as she let what happened sink in. They heard a clap, which startled all of them nearly all to death. Evidently, it was Kara who seemed awfully happy.  
  
"Well done! Much better than what I had expected initially. I'm very pleased," Kara said. She glanced at Phoebe and called out Leo. If she were to yell, it would probably sound like a thunderclap to the poor whitelighter. After all, mortal voices were much softer than those of her, shall we say, status.  
  
Suddenly, Leo appeared before her. She pointed to Phoebe and Leo rushed over to heal her. Still, nothing was said between the four and Leo was feeling very awkward.  
  
Paige interrupted the odd moment by speaking her mind, which she often did. "So what was that?" She asked, not being able to think of anything else to ask.  
  
Cole glanced at her and then collapsed from the effort. 


	10. Summoning Training

Chapter-10 Summoning Training  
  
Cole's head was still spinning from the encounter and he didn't want to open his eyes. He could feel someone to his right pacing, when all of a sudden, a vision of another reality flashed before his eyes.  
  
"Ugh.." Cole mumbled. He hadn't had any trouble with his newly acquired vision since that first lesson with Kara. He didn't know why, but he was happy that he didn't have to worry about the splitting headache that came with looking into another dimension or reality.  
  
"Cole?" Phoebe asked. She tried to restrain the worry that was about to escape along with her voice. She looked at everyone else to see if anyone noticed her difficulty. It didn't look like anyone had noticed, though when she looked at Kara, she had a glint in her eyes.  
  
"Ugh my head hurts," Cole said, feeling as though he was having a major hangover.  
  
"Well, of course you'd have a head ache Cole. That demon you summoned was actually pretty powerful for a first time summoning," Kara said cheerfully. Even though it had no special abilities, it was pretty strong and fast for Cole's first summoning. He didn't even go through the second lesson! Kara thought.  
  
"Kara, you said that you would explain once Cole woke up. Which is starting to get a little irritating, but, now could you explain what the hell was that thing? Not to mention the demon that nearly killed all of us, and most likely the entire world!" Piper asked from the frustration of having to wait.  
  
She went to Leo and he wrapped his arms around her trying to comfort her. He still had no idea what had happened. From what was said, made Leo very interested.  
  
"Alright already! Hold on while he gets his bearings first at least!" Kara exasperated. They all then stopped and showed what respect they could at the moment. You did not anger someone who was that powerful and important. Even if that person was trying to help Cole.  
  
Cole slowly rose from the couch, where he had been resting ever since the fight. He was still confused on what happened exactly. He turned to Kara and asked, "what did happen anyway?"  
  
"Alright, now that you seem okay, I guess I'll start to explain. Beginning with why I couldn't help you. Yes, I know one of you is feeling that way. You see, there was a rule that forbade me from even speaking once the test had begun," Kara said, as she explained her quietness in the battle.  
  
"What was the deal with that test anyway? If we don't pass, we die?" Paige asked sarcastically.  
  
"Actually, yes," Kara replied sadly.  
  
This answer startled everyone. They just stared realizing that they could've all been killed, and Kara wouldn't have been able to do anything.  
  
"You see, if the guardian could not handle that simple test, then he would not be able to handle the stronger demons after him. 'They' believed that death was much better than eternal torment, nearly dying each time. I was not one of them though. I thought they should just remove the gate from the guardian and find someone else. But no, they have to be stubborn," Kara said angrily.  
  
Cole just stared in shock. He saw the pain in his eyes and how she had desperately wanted to help him. He reached for her hand. "It's alright Kara, I understand," Cole said softly. He truly did understand what she felt. Kara looked at him, and smiled sadly.  
  
"Could you continue on with the explanation?" Phoebe asked, disrupting the two.  
  
"Oh, of course. As I was saying, the demon was sent after you. He was powerful enough to test all of you but not strong enough to break our hold over him. If you were able to defeat him, then you'd be able to continue your training, and Cole would be able to continue on with his Guardian duties. It's going to be very hard Cole, and I am so sorry for what might be coming," Kara said looking away ashamed.  
  
Cole saw this also and turned her head by her chin. He looked at her like a father would.  
  
"Kara, don't worry about it. I accepted this. I will deal with this and take on my responsibilities," Cole said, reassuring her.  
  
Kara welled up with tears. Even though she had been partly responsible for this, he still cared for her. She may have been a powerful being of good, but she still had a part of her that was a young girl. She collapsed into Cole's arms and began to cry. Her tears ran down her cheeks in waves of sadness, worry, joy, and relief.  
  
Cole looked down in surprise. He knew of how old she truly was, but at that precise moment, she looked like a little girl trying to find comfort by a dad. Of course Cole had no idea what to do. He then decided to trust his instincts, which he had come to rely on greatly, and wrapped his arms around her and he gave her a small, very quick kiss on the head, trying to calm her down.  
  
Everyone was caught off guard when she plunged herself into Cole's arms. They were even more surprised when Cole wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. To Phoebe, it looked like he was the father, and she was the daughter. But that was impossible, wasn't it?  
  
Kara felt so warm in his arms. She had never felt so warm or content before. Sure, it was a natural feeling of content and warm fuzziness up 'there'. But this feeling, she'd never felt before. She would've probably stayed there like that until she drifted off into a blissful sleep. A small voice in the back of her mind told her she had duties to perform. So Kara took a few more blissful seconds, trying to memorize the feeling. She then looked up and found herself looking at his eyes, which were so similar to her own.  
  
She then whispered softly in appreciation, "thank you." He looked own and smiled back at her warmly. "Your welcome," was his response. Kara then got up slowly, and she felt a feeling of happiness and contentment that she'd never felt before.  
  
"Now, we have to work on your physical training, Cole and Phoebe," Kara said, announcing that she was alright.  
  
"What about us?" Paige asked indicating Piper and her.  
  
"As I had said before, I was going to train Phoebe and Cole separately," Kara said.  
  
"Okay. Phoebe, we'll see you after you're done here, okay?" Piper asked about to orb out with Leo.  
  
"Okay," she said absentmindedly. She was still looking at Kara oddly. She knew that one display of emotion was important, but she couldn't quite place why. She looked back at Cole. She didn't expect him to react that way, like a father. She didn't notice as Paige, Leo, and Piper orbed out, back to the manor.  
  
"Phoebe, you coming?" Kara asked, breaking her out of her trance. She seemed to be consumed by her thoughts lately.  
  
"Oh, what? Where are we going?" she questioned, as she saw Cole preparing to blur.  
  
"We can't train here for the physical parts. We're going somewhere else where we can't do any harm, if by some chance something goes wrong," Kara explained.  
  
"Okay, who's going to bring me? Can you Kara?" Phoebe asked, not wanting to get close to Cole.  
  
"Um, sorry Phoebe, but my transportation would most likely hurt you. You'd have to travel with Cole. I know his mode of transportation won't hurt you," Kara said biting back a grin.  
  
"Oh. Fine," Phoebe said. She knew that she would have to hold his hand at least. Cole extended his hand for her to take. She took it hesitantly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Phoebe, but this blurring is different from my shimmering. I can't control the field as much as I could with the shimmer. You'll need to get a little closer to me," Cole said. He knew that she still didn't trust her and he didn't want to force her. He loved her too much for that.  
  
Phoebe was hesitant at first. She then noticed Kara looking curiously at them, wondering when they would be going. She then got next to Cole and looked down. The familiar feeling of his arm around her was actually nice. He always seemed to be able make her feel warm and content. She looked up at Kara and she was already going. She prepared for the blur and gasped as he blurred out. She could feel herself melding with him in order to get where they were going. She wouldn't admit it, but she liked it. When they emerged from the blur, she quickly took a step from Cole. She was starting to feel afraid of what she was feeling at that moment. She could never think straight when he was around.  
  
She then decided to look around at where they were. The view was breathtaking. It was sunny and cast a golden glow at the already beautiful surroundings. It was a grassy meadow with wonderful flowers and a beautiful blue sky.  
  
"Here we are," Kara said smiling. She always loved this place. Every time she was allowed on earth, she would come here.  
  
"Wow," Phoebe whispered. She was just speechless from the scenery. Cole looked around also and he seemed to feel happy here for some reason. He then remembered why they were there and decided to break the peaceful moment.  
  
"I believe we had training," Cole said sadly, wanting to just lay down and stare up at the sky. That shook Kara from her sense of happiness and reminded her once again of her duties.  
  
"You're right Cole. Okay, now what should we work on first. What would you like to do? We could have either, summoning demons, your concentration, opening the gate, tearing a hole between dimensions, force fields, you're vision of realities, or you're control over all of what I just said," Kara said, listing the things out loud while she ticked off the points on her fingers.  
  
Cole thought about which he should do first. The best thing he should probably be control.  
  
"Control," Cole said.  
  
"Okay, now you and Phoebe need to learn how to meditate properly. It'll give you control at all times if you were to meditate on a regular basis," Kara explained.  
  
Their training continued throughout most of the day. Phoebe and Cole dropped down to the grassy ground panting. They were exhausted. The most difficult thing that Cole had to do was opening the gate. He was the only one who could do this, so Phoebe didn't have to do it. He was glad because it was extremely painful. Though when he looked back at her, he saw pain across her face as well, and he remembered their bond. He was pained even more by this, but he tried to hide it. Then he saw her wince, and he remembered they could share feelings too. It was frustrating so he tried to forget about it.  
  
Opening the gate was very hard for Cole, it involved having to take it out of his right pupil. That alone was painful. Then he had to concentrate and pull the gate open with his will force. That put strain on his mind and he nearly collapsed and passed out from the effort after he closed it back up again.  
  
Summoning demons, on the other hand was much easier. He had already done it once. Kara had told him that at that moment, he wasn't really concentrating and he just summoned a demon out of impulse. If he were to concentrate, he could summon one with powers. Phoebe could do this too, because she was closer to the gate than her sisters. The summoning had them put their left hands facing up.  
  
Each symbol they drew in the air with their right hand above their left, represented an aspect of the demon. The thing was that you had to be quick. Once your left hand was in position and you started chanting the summoning words, you only had a short amount of time. Besides the aspects of the demon, you needed to be concentrating very hard.  
  
When Cole had summoned that particular demon, he didn't include any special powers, but was concentrating very hard. That was why the demon was so fast and strong. Once the demon has completed his task, he'll go back into the rip that he came out of. In the practice, Cole summoned a very powerful demon that was slightly sorter than him if it stood on it's hind legs. It had a tail that was as long as Cole's head that ended in spikes. It also seemed to have the ability to throw fire, and it had retractable claws on all four of it's legs. As the demon saw there was no danger, he went right back into the rip that he came out of.  
  
Phoebe however had summoned something that was a little more tame. It looked like a small little dog. It was cute on the outside but when something got close, he shot acid at it. Cole nearly got a burnt arm because of the little beast. Phoebe let out a giggle, when the creature decided to go back into the rip. Cole remembered Phoebe say that was cool.  
  
Cole thought of the force fields that Kara had taught them how to use. To him they seemed flimsy and weak, but when he tried to throw two very powerful energy balls at an object that was protected by Phoebe's force field, they just shattered against it. He had looked at it in amazement.  
  
Kara had said, "you see Cole, your magic and this certain magic are completely different. Your magic will cancel out because this is a completely different level of magic then you're both used to. That's why when Phoebe's sisters and yourself tried to use your magic, it didn't work," she explained.  
  
Cole then had to learn how to control his vision of the different realities and dimensions. When he looked into the realities, he always got this splitting headache, and from the pain on Phoebe's face, she felt it too. Kara then helped him control and lessen the pain when he wanted one. Kara asked him to look into a different reality and tell her about it. As he concentrated, he brought one up. He looked toward Phoebe and could see she saw it too.  
  
The reality he was looking into was at the manor, and he could see Phoebe and him kissing. They then turned around and looked into a baby's crib. Cole reached inside and carried a small infant to Phoebe. She greeted him by holding him and kissing him. She then turned back to Cole and kissed him to. The sound was muffled so they couldn't hear what they were saying clearly. Though they heard Phoebe say, "I love you Cole, and I love our little Ben here," she said bouncing him up a little, which made him gurgle, and then babble.  
  
Cole shook off the reality as he came back to slap in the face. He had a few tears welling up inside, but he controlled them and ordered them not to come out. He looked to Phoebe and she just stared at the ground in shock. He now regretted looking at that particular reality.  
  
After all the other things, Kara then decided to teach Cole how to rip a hole between dimensions. IT would allow him to go to other dimensions. Later on, he'll learn why he needs to know this. It was one of his Guardian duties as well. Kara had taught him how to open the gate first because ripping a hole between two dimensions was much like opening the gate. He had to concentrate even harder in order to rip a dimensional hole because with the gate, there was already an opening that was just closed. Cole had to focus his energy on one spot and try to literally punch a hole through the barrier.  
  
On his first attempt, it didn't work. Kara then decided to have Phoebe help Cole by also concentrating. Together, Cole and Phoebe were able to make a small hole in front of them, which quickly closed. They then collapsed in exhaustion, which lead them to this very point in time. Kara then broke his concentration. His train of thought as he was reviewing his experience was broken now, so he decided to listen.  
  
"Well done! Usually, the Guardian wouldn't be able to make that large of a hole, even with all three of his witnesses. It just shows you that you two are very strong willed and powerful. I'll leave you two alone so you could relax and rest," Kara said before disappearing behind a curtain of light blue light. 


	11. The Witch Who Cried Wolf

Chapter-11 The Witch Who Cried Wolf  
  
Cole and Phoebe just stayed there, unmoving, not speaking. Enjoying the silence that was around them, while at the same time, feeling uncomfortable.  
  
"Cole?" Phoebe asked. She had wanted to ask him something ever since he looked into the other reality.  
  
"Yeah, Phoebe?" Cole asked turning his head to look at her. He could see she was having some problems inside of her.  
  
"Why.I mean why did you look at that reality?" Phoebe asked uncertainly. She didn't know how to put it into words at the moment. Cole merely shrugged in return. After a few more minutes of silence and staring into the light blue sky, Cole broke the silence.  
  
"I guess.guess I just wanted see if I was happy somewhere else. With you," Cole said. He was having a storm of emotions that threatened to rip him apart. To know that he was happy somewhere else brought him relief and sadness at the same time. He was asking himself why he couldn't be happy here too. He was just praying that she couldn't feel his emotions at the same time. From what she said next, his hopes came crashing down.  
  
"I know how you feel, Cole. Did you forget that we're connected?" Phoebe asked amused. For some reason, she felt a little more at ease with him at this moment. She didn't feel wary of him at all. It reminded her of the times when she wasn't afraid of him, and she could take comfort in him.  
  
Cole got up and took in a deep breath. Even the air felt different here, wherever here was. It smelled fresh and untainted, much different from the air of San Francisco. There, it was filled with pollution, and the scent of pain, suffering, lies, and secrets, along with the joy and happiness. Cole saw the happiness as a mask to cover up the bad.  
  
Phoebe glanced at him and felt this set of emotions that pulled at her heart. She wasn't the one necessarily feeling them so, she knew it had to have been Cole. She probed and went through these foreign emotions while breathing in the air. She could feel a sense of release, confinement, joy, sadness. All of them were melding inside of his heart, as well as hers because they were spilling into her as well. She was nearly swept away by all of the emotions.  
  
Now, that she was trying to get further away from him, she seemed to be closer to him than she had ever felt before. For some reason, she had the urge to get up and kiss him. Before she knew it, she was already standing, and at his side.  
  
Cole was staring off into the dark forest that bordered the beautiful meadow. So, he didn't notice at first when Phoebe came by his side. He felt her breathing to his left and he turned. He was caught by surprise when he saw her looking up at him. She seemed to be breathing shallowly and her eyes seemed to be burning. Cole suddenly found himself breathing heavily and his heart rate increased along with his breathing.  
  
Phoebe felt his heartbeat increase, and his breathing become shallow, as though forced. Since Phoebe could feel it as well, her heartbeat became even faster, and she needed to mentally think inhale, exhale. Cole raised his hand to her cheek, hesitantly, almost nervously. He stroked her cheek and found it a little easier to breath when she pressed her cheek against his caress.  
  
They inched closer and came into a small kiss. Suddenly, Kara stepped from a curtain of light blue light. She saw the two who quickly broke away. She smiled inwardly, knowing that this would happen.  
  
"So, are you two ready to go? Sorry it took so long, it's just that I had to take care of something," Kara said making up an excuse, and she was pretty good at hiding stuff so Cole and Phoebe didn't notice that she was lying.  
  
"Um yeah, we're ready," Cole said hesitantly, stealing a glance of Phoebe. He was thoroughly confused about what just happened. He could also feel a small tug in his heart, signaling that Phoebe was also confused. Her confusion and his own melded together, and they just felt closer than ever.  
  
Phoebe was thinking furiously. 'Why did I do that?! What possessed me to do that?!' Phoebe asked herself, cursing her weakness. 'Maybe, because, uh, you're still in love with him and you want him still?' A sarcastic voice answered in the back of her mind.  
  
"Kara, where exactly are we?" Cole asked suddenly.  
  
"What? You don't even know where we are?!" Phoebe exclaimed.  
  
"Well no, I just followed Kara. What, you don't trust her?" Cole shot back. That silenced her, and Cole regretted saying it.  
  
"Well, we're sort of in the first meadow of earth. This was before the whole Adam and Eve thing," Kara answered smoothly, as though this was a coffee shop. Both Cole and Phoebe turned to her and stared.  
  
"Now, we going, or what?" Kara asked.  
  
"Uh, sure," Cole said as he held out his hand for Phoebe to take it. Phoebe hesitated, then took it. A part of her was saying, 'God, I do love him still. I wish he would just hug me'. She shook her head trying to get rid of the annoying voice, but it stuck to her like an annoying gnat. She then felt herself melt into him when he blurred. That small part of her was going, 'Yay!'  
  
As soon as Cole began to blur, he felt Phoebe melt into him and he felt so happy. Though when he came out of the blur back at his penthouse, Phoebe quickly pushed herself away from him. This just made him even sadder than before the blur. He turned to his right, where Kara was sitting, very relaxed on the sofa.  
  
"What took you so long?" Kara asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Cole asked back. He was slightly confused by her question. The answer than struck him.  
  
"Oh. Well I'm sorry Kara, but I'm not as quick as you appear to be," Cole said, mockingly teasing her.  
  
"Well, then, that's alright," Kara shot back playfully. She grinned after a moment, unable to keep a straight face.  
  
"Hey, what was with that place anyway? Is there some kind of magic there?" Phoebe asked injecting herself into the conversation.  
  
"Well, sort of. That meadow was created to allow people to express their inner emotions. Also, it gives them a little push to do what they want to do most. Why? Something happen?" Kara asked looking at Phoebe and Cole, knowing full well something did happen.  
  
"No," Phoebe answered quickly as she remembered the kiss.  
  
"Sure," Kara said, in a disbelieving tone. 'Talk about the witch who cried wolf. I mean she keeps telling herself she isn't in love with him, but then she finds out she still is. I'm glad I brought them to that particular meadow' Kara thought to herself, smiling at her deviousness. Hey, she may be some kind of powerful angel-type person, but when she needed to, she could just be as deceitful as the next person.  
  
"Um I better go now," Phoebe said still trying to separate her feelings for Cole.  
  
"Oh.Okay," Cole said.  
  
"Yeah, sure Phoebe. I'll see you during the next lesson," Kara replied turning her back, preparing to go to the room she shared with Cole.  
  
"Wait, when is the next lesson?" Phoebe asked, suddenly realizing she didn't have the slightest clue where or when it was going to be. "Oh. I guess I'll just call you or ask Leo to bring you," Kara replied.  
  
"You know how to use the phone?" Phoebe asked in shock.  
  
"Yeah, Phoebe. I'm may be a high ranking good guy, or should I say girl, but I'm not oblivious to the going-ons of this world," Kara answered, amused that Phoebe thought I wouldn't know how to use a simple telephone.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Okay, I guess I'll see you two later than," Phoebe said blushing a rose pink at her foolishness.  
  
"So, Kara, do you want to eat something? You must be hungry, 'cause I sure am," Cole said, heading toward the kitchen.  
  
Kara paused to consider whether or not to eat. She then turned to Cole and said, "Yeah, sure, why not?"  
  
Cole smiled and asked, "Do you want a sandwich, or do you want me to order Chinese or something?"  
  
"Uh, whatever, I don't really care," Kara said, sitting back down onto the couch.  
  
"Well, I'm too tired to make a sandwich, so, I'll just order out," Cole said coming out of the kitchen, and grabbing the phone.  
  
"So, what you think of your first physical training session?" Kara asked, making conversation.  
  
"It was tiring, but fun. I can't believe what I can do now that I have this gate," Cole said waiting for the Chinese place to pick up. They finally did, and he ordered for the both of them. He hung up and sat back on the couch next to her.  
  
"You want to watch some TV while we wait for the food?" Cole asked after a moment.  
  
"Sure, I've always wanted to see what made so many people become zombies over this TV," Kara answered.  
  
"You've never watched TV before?" Cole asked shocked. Everyone has watched TV. At least he thought everyone did.  
  
"No, let's just say, that I was never able to watch it when I was growing up. I was sort of taken away from my parents when I was born. So I never really got to know them and I grew up, up 'there'," she replied sadly.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I never really got to know my parents either. As you probably know, my father was human and my mother was a demon. Raynor had tricked my mother in killing my father and then I was taken care of by Raynor for some reason," Cole said, recounting his awful childhood.  
  
"Ooh, that must have been really horrible. At least I was in the hands of good. You, ugh. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean."Kara said realizing what she just said.  
  
"No, it's okay. I've dealt with my past. It doesn't really bother me anymore," Cole replied. He found the remote and turned on the TV. The news was on and he was wondering if he should change the channel or not.  
  
"Do you want to watch something else?" Cole asked turning to Kara.  
  
"Uh, sure. I have no idea what is on the TV, so, I don't care," Kara replied looking at the TV curiously.  
  
'Wow, she really hasn't watched TV before' Cole thought changing the channel to Disney.  
  
After about 20 minutes of watching TV, the doorbell rang, and Cole got up, grabbing his wallet. He came back with a paper bag filled with food.  
  
Kara and Cole had filled themselves and were watching some more TV. Kara had started to become cold and she snuggled next to Cole like a little girl. For some reason, Cole felt like this was right, again. He didn't want to disturb her, so he ignored it and went back to watching the TV.  
  
Soon, Kara had fallen asleep, and he carried her to the bed and tucked her in. He found himself kissing her on her forehead and whispering good-night. She smiled and rolled over to her side. He had no idea why he just did that, but it felt right, like when he held her. He pondered about that for a few seconds, and then decided to drown himself in the mindless world of the television.  
  
Back at the manor  
  
Phoebe shut the door as she entered the manor. She decided against calling her sisters to pick her up. Mainly because she didn't want to stay at Cole's longer than she had to. Also because she wanted time to herself to think about what happened. She didn't even know why it happened. Then, there was the problem of her sisters.  
  
Should she tell her sisters that she had kissed the man that they feared the most? No, that she couldn't do. The shame that she felt herself was enough, add that to the shame that her sisters would place upon her would be too much. She walked towards the stairs, wanting to go to her room. Her sisters wouldn't barge in, would they? Wait, they did like, last week after Miles had died  
  
Phoebe let out a sigh of frustration, trying to think of where she could go to have some privacy. Her thoughts though were thoroughly disrupted when Paige spotted her from the kitchen.  
  
"Phoebe, where've you been?" Paige asked, her voice tinted with worry.  
  
"I've been training with Kara and Cole. Why?" Phoebe asked confused. Not for the first time that day.  
  
"Why? You'd been gone for nearly 24 hrs. We were going out of our minds wondering where you were!" Paige exclaimed.  
  
"24, hours?" Phoebe breathed out. She didn't think that it had been nearly a full day. Where Cole and she had been, it hadn't even gotten dark, let alone full night.  
  
Piper had heard Paige exclaimed and came running, thinking a demon had come. When she saw Phoebe though, she ran to her and swept her into a deep hug.  
  
"Phoebe! Oh my God! Where were you? We were about to call Darryl!" Piper exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's nice to see you too Piper, but I'd like to keep on seeing you. If you don't let go, I think I'm going to pass out," Phoebe answered, trying to get some air into her lungs.  
  
"Oh sorry honey," Piper apologized, not realizing she was choking her sister.  
  
"Just where were you?!" Piper exclaimed, with mock anger. She had gotten over her excitement, and was now going to chastise her younger sister for worrying her.  
  
"Oh, well hold on, where was I again?" Phoebe asked herself, trying to remember where she just was.  
  
"Oh, now I remember. I was in the first meadow that was ever on Earth," Phoebe answered.  
  
Her two sisters just stared at her.(They seem to be doing that a lot lately) They continued to stare at her, until Leo walked down the stairs.  
  
"Piper, I'm going to try and sense her.Phoebe!" Leo exclaimed, seeing her standing in front of her sisters. Seeing the look on Piper and Paige, he turned to Phoebe.  
  
"Okay, what's wrong?" Leo asked suspiciously, glancing from the three sisters in turn.  
  
"Oh, nothing. It's just that they're a little stunned from where I've been for the past 24 hrs. Odd though, it didn't really seem like 24 hrs." Phoebe be said, trying to assure Leo. Piper broke from her state of shock.  
  
"Leo, honey, guess what? Phoebe's been in the first meadow that was ever on Earth," Piper said.  
  
"What? Wow, why'd you go there?" Leo asked surprised. It was a great pleasure and honor to go there. You were allowed there only if you were first of all powerful enough, because the person would need to time travel. Also, because not many people had the authority to go there.  
  
"Well, Kara, Cole, and I had gone there for training," Phoebe replied. She let out a yawn because she was really tired still from the training.  
  
"Honey, what's so special about that meadow?" Piper asked her husband.  
  
"Well, first of all, it's found in the past. So Kara had to time travel. Second, it allows you to express yourself freely and it's a magical convergence. So magic would be amplified. Wait, she brought Cole with you to the meadow?" Leo asked suddenly realizing that Cole had gone to such a sacred place.  
  
"Yeah. Now if you don't mind, I'm still very tired. I'll be in my room, and try not to disturb me," Phoebe said as she climbed the stairs.  
  
She left her sisters and Leo to think about what had just happened. In her room, she flopped down onto the bed and let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to just relax in her own room, on her own bed. Her emotions that she had been feeling came rushing back to her from the back of her mind.  
  
"Ugh!" Phoebe grumbled as she rolled over onto her stomach. She just wanted to relax and rest from the training she had. She began going over what she had learned. She began thinking about all she could do now. She had always wanted an active power like her sisters. True, she was the 'innocent yellow pages' but she wanted to be able to kick ass too. That was the main reason why she took up different styles of martial arts.  
  
She let out a sigh as she rolled back over onto her back. She stared back up at the ceiling and drifted off into her thoughts. Those thoughts soon turned to Cole and that small kiss. Why did she do that? Then something what Kara and Leo said to her came flooding into her mind.  
  
"That meadow allowed you to express your desires and emotions," Phoebe recalled. Did that mean she wanted Cole?  
  
'Duh, of course you still want him. Technically, I'm part of you, so I should be talking in first person. Ah, whatever. Thing is, we still love him. We need him. Would you stop having this stupid denial thing and admit it already?!' a voice shouted angrily at her.  
  
'Whoa, I don't know where that came from' Phoebe thought.  
  
'Arrrrrgh!!!' the voice yelled in frustration.  
  
'Am I getting a split personality here?' Phoebe asked herself.  
  
'I guess so, because by the looks of it, you need another you to yell at you at your stupid blindness!' the voice yelled again.  
  
"Ugh!" Phoebe grumbled and rolled onto her side. She pulled the blanket to cover herself, because she was starting to get cold. She didn't even care that she hadn't changed, she just wanted to go to sleep. And sleep she did, when an interesting dream took over:  
  
She was back in that meadow that Kara and Cole had brought her to. She was lying on her back and staring up into the blue sky dreamily. She looked to her left and there was Cole, also staring into the deep blue sky. He turned towards her and smiled, and he seemed so content and happy for the first time in so long. That made her happy for some reason. She didn't understand it because ever since he came back, she's been trying to keep away from him and didn't really care if he felt happy or not.  
  
He reached over and caressed her cheek, in the very same manner he had done earlier that day. She liked the feeling she got from him, even if it was only his hand. She turned her head into his hand and reveled in it's warmth. Suddenly, there was Kara, who was in between them. Phoebe looked at her curiously, and then shrugged it off, as though she belonged there with them.  
  
Their peace however shattered when a demon came and picked Kara up by the shirt of her collar. The demon grinned maliciously and stabbed her in the back with an athame. Phoebe was crying furiously as the demon faded away leaving Kara there, lifeless and cold. Phoebe turned to Cole and saw him crying also, as he picked her up and held her rocking back and forth.  
  
All of a sudden the dream ended with Phoebe sitting up sweating, heart racing, and breathing shallowly.  
  
At Cole's Penthouse:  
  
Kara sat up abruptly from her peaceful sleep. She too was sweating and breathing heavily as her heart raced. She held her head, reviewing her dream. She remembered the events, and knew that they would soon come to pass and sighed sadly. She knew that this was one premonition that she could not stop.  
  
Kara knew that Phoebe had probably seen the same dream and she was awfully saddened by what she was probably feeling. Though, Kara held one aspect of the dream that Phoebe probably hadn't seen. Kara's saddened face, turned into a small smile, as she remembered that Phoebe would soon have a daughter. 


	12. More Problems

Chapter-12 More Problems  
  
It started out as a peaceful morning at the Haliwell Manor, which was a rarity. Usually, the sisters were fretting over a some demon, or Piper's baby, or something that made them tense and agitated. This morning however was very relaxed and calm. With Piper relaxing on the couch and Paige flipping through the channels on the TV.  
  
Of course Piper and Paige still had a few questions for Phoebe about what happened during the time she was gone with Cole and Kara. They were slightly concerned about her having to spend so much time with Cole, but they couldn't refuse someone so important as Kara. Soon, Phoebe came rushing down the stairs when she had woken up from the dream and dressed. When her sisters looked at Phoebe's face full of concern, they knew something was wrong.  
  
"Well, there goes our peaceful morning," Paige muttered. Piper shot Paige a look and Paige shrugged her shoulders as though to say 'what?'  
  
"Phoebe, honey, what's wrong?" Piper asked concerned for her sister. She was afraid it had something to do with Cole or Kara.  
  
"Um......Do you guys know where Leo is?" Phoebe asked ignoring the question. She would answer the question once Leo was there. She needed to ask him something about her powers.  
  
"Uh, no, but I can go get him for you," Piper said, looking at Phoebe curiously, wondering why she needed to see her husband.  
  
"Piper, sit, relax, I'll go get him. Is he still in the kitchen?" Paige asked Piper, not wanting her to move more than she had to because of the baby.  
  
"Uh, yeah, last time I checked, he was still there," Piper answered, sitting back down. Paige quickly walked to the kitchen to retrieve Leo.  
  
"So, Phoebe, why do you need to talk to Leo?" Piper asked, turning her attention back to Phoebe.  
  
"Oh, well I need to talk to him about something that deals with my powers," Phoebe replied, not really paying attention.  
  
Piper saw the distant look in her sisters eyes that she'd seen many times, and knew that it meant she was thinking about something really hard. Paige soon returned with Leo following behind.  
  
"Phoebe, you wanted to see me? What for?" Leo asked.  
  
"Leo, do you remember when my premonition powers advanced?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Leo answered, switching to whitelighter mode.  
  
"Well, is it possible that I could now have prophetic dreams as well?" Phoebe asked, with fear that slightly tinged her voice.  
  
"It's possible. If I could ask again, why?" Leo said, realizing he was asking why a lot.  
  
"Well, I had this really disturbing dream that I have no idea where it came from," Phoebe answered, thinking about what happened in the dream.  
  
"Why don't you tell us about it then?" Paige said, trying to get her to say what was bothering her so much.  
  
"Well, I was back in that meadow where I was training. I was lying on my back staring up to the sky. I turned to my left and there was Cole next to me, and I was smiling," she held her hands up in defense when she saw her sisters open their mouths in protest. "Hey, that's what was happening in the dream, okay."  
  
"Let her finish, then we could comment," Leo said, coming to Phoebe's defense. Phoebe sent him a look that said 'thank you.' She then proceeded to tell her sisters and Leo what happened next.  
  
"As I said, Cole was there," she didn't want to add that he stroked her cheek. It disturbed them with him just being there. "And then all of a sudden, Kara was in between us and it felt right to have her there with us. As we were relaxing there, enjoying the simple pleasure of lying there, this demon appears and picks up Kara and stabs her. He disappears, and Cole and me are crying like we just lost a limb or something. The whole thing ended with Cole holding Kara in his arms, rocking back and forth," Phoebe ended with a sigh of release.  
  
The three just stayed silent, thinking what it could mean. They were also wondering if it was really a premonition or just a dream. Paige broke the silence, like she usually did.  
  
"Do you really think that was a premonition Phoebe? Or was it just a dream?" Paige asked.  
  
"I don't really know. It felt like a premonition, but it was in color. Usually, they're only black and white," Phoebe said, just realizing that fact.  
  
"The thing is, if I dismiss this and it really is a premonition, I couldn't bear to lose Kara," Phoebe said out loud.  
  
"Yeah, I agree with you there," Piper said, speaking for the first time since Phoebe finished her recounting of the dream.  
  
"Yeah, me too. Imagine how 'they' would react if she died underneath my protection," Leo said thinking to himself.  
  
"Do you really think we should have left her there with Cole?" Paige asked. Everyone looked at her staring blankly. Then, Piper rushed to Leo so they could orb to Cole's penthouse. Phoebe grabbed Paige's hand so that she could come along to. They were then all orbing to Cole's penthouse.  
  
Cole's Penthouse:  
  
Kara had fallen back to sleep after she awoke from the premonition. She didn't really feel too concerned about it and didn't really want to worry about it. She already knew it was one of those premonitions that only prepared her for what was to come. She just wanted to enjoy the peace and happiness that was in the here and now. At that moment, it was sleep. Cole had gotten up shortly after Kara had fallen back asleep. He knew she was a little tired from yesterday, seeing as how she fell asleep on the couch. He had decided to try his hand at cooking for the two of them this time.  
  
He was in the kitchen, trying, to cook eggs and some bacon. When all of a sudden, Phoebe, her sisters, and Leo orbed into his living room. He came out of the kitchen, carrying two trays, intending to bring Kara's food to her when he saw them. He was startled at first and nearly dropped the two plates.  
  
"Cole? What are you doing?" Phoebe asked, looking suspiciously at the trays that he had steadied.  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm bringing her breakfast," Cole shot back. Phoebe was stunned at his verbal lash.  
  
"You cooked?" Phoebe asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, I seem to do now. I guess Kara kind of got me into it," Cole answered emotionlessly. He had started to walk towards his room again, but Phoebe blocked his path.  
  
"Wait, where's Kara?" she asked.  
  
"She's in bed, sleeping. I think she woke up from a nightmare so she went back to sleep. I know she's going to wake up soon so I thought I would surprise her. Why? Worried I was going to poison her?" Cole asked cynically.  
  
Phoebe just stood in shock from his anger and aggressiveness. She then processed what he just said. It seemed odd that Cole would do that. He never even did that when they were together. And here he was, doing it for a high-ranking official of good. She followed her into his room, where she found Kara curled up on his bed, sleeping peacefully. Cole didn't want to disturb her, so he gently put the food onto his side of the bed and just looked at her. Phoebe was intrigued by his expression that seemed invaded by love and caring for Kara. It was very odd, and Phoebe was starting to wonder if Cole was feeling a similar feeling to her own that she seemed to have toward the girl.  
  
Kara's eyes opened slowly, smelling food. She was famished, even though she ate all that Chinese food last night with Cole. Teaching him and Phoebe had tired her out more than she had initially thought. She saw Cole's face above her smiling. She smiled back and looked towards his hand. It was resting next to two trays that had eggs and bacon on both.  
  
"Is that for me?" Kara asked propping herself up by her elbows. She hadn't even noticed that Phoebe was there, observing what was going on.  
  
"Yeah, I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up," Cole replied, handing her the fork and spoon to her. Followed by the tray with the warm food.  
  
"It's still warm," Kara said surprised. She looked up at Cole.  
  
"Yeah, I kind of guessed when you'd wake up, so" Cole said smiling down at her.  
  
"Thank you," Kara said before digging into the surprisingly good eggs. When she finished, she looked up contented. Only then did she notice Phoebe standing in the doorway.  
  
"Ah, Phoebe, why don't you come join us?" Kara said, patting the bed next to her. Phoebe looked uncertainly towards Cole, but she obeyed Kara and sat down stiffly next to Cole.  
  
"Cole, why don't you eat what you made for yourself," Kara said, indicating the other plate by his hand. She also noticed the deftly silence that was starting to annoy her.  
  
Phoebe heard her stomach rumble as she quickly realized that she had completely skipped breakfast. Kara had heard this too, and she grinned, thanking the stomach for giving her an opening.  
  
"Why don't you two share, while I go and talk some stuff over with Leo," Kara said noticing that the other three were coming.  
  
"Um...sure," Phoebe answered, she really didn't want to do this, but, she had to listen to Kara and she was pretty hungry.  
  
Kara got up and Cole handed her a fork, and they began to eat. Phoebe was surprised at how well it tasted and began to eat a little faster. This pleased Cole greatly and ate a little bit more comfortably.  
  
"This is pretty good Cole," Phoebe commented.  
  
"Thanks Phoebe. It's nice to hear a comment from you for a change," Cole said, actually meaning it. Lately, it's all been stay away, don't hurt anyone, you're still evil, and so on and so forth. Frankly, it was getting tiring and he liked the change. Phoebe had understood the comment and just stayed silent as she ate more.  
  
Soon, they were almost done when they came to the last strip of bacon. Both forks pierced it, intending to take it. Cole looked up at her, and let go. Phoebe wanted him to have it, but Cole shook his head.  
  
"Are you sure Cole?" She asked. He had been the one to cook it and he should be the one to eat it.  
  
"No, it's fine. Judging by your disposition, you hadn't eaten anything for a while, and I want you to have it," Cole said pushing the plate forward toward her.  
  
"Thanks," she replied as she took it and ate it. It was pretty good actually, and she felt better. She laid back on the bed, not knowing what she was doing. It had came as a reflex and she quickly sat up. Cole saw this and he smiled some more.  
  
"Hey, do you want something to drink?" Cole offered, noticing that he was thirsty.  
  
"Oh, sure, Cole," Phoebe replied. She looked up when he got off the bed and walked towards the kitchen. 'Maybe he is good' Phoebe thought. He seemed so sweet and kind, especially with Kara. 'Even so, you still can't be with him.  
  
He's still a demon' an annoying voice whispered. Those words rolled through her mind and she thought about those words. 'Is he really still a demon? Isn't he still a human, just with demonic powers?' another voice said, counteracting what the other voice had said. Phoebe battled with those thoughts. Cole was in the living room, expecting to see Piper and the others. He was surprised when he only saw Kara, who was coming back from the kitchen, holding a glass of orange juice.  
  
"Hey, this is pretty good. What is it Cole?" Kara asked, taking a sip from the glass. Cole smirked as he said, "that's orange juice."  
  
"Oh, it's good," Kara said, before taking another sip from the glass.  
  
"Where's Piper and the others?" Cole asked looking around. He really didn't think that they would leave Phoebe here alone, with him.  
  
"Oh, well, I told them to go and relax. They should enjoy the peace and quiet while they have the chance. Soon, demons like the one you killed are going to be coming after them. You and Phoebe are almost done with your physical training, much sooner than I thought, so I'll be training them soon. They won't have to go through all of the things that you and Phoebe went through, but it'll still be hard. Especially for Piper," Kara said, suddenly remembering that Piper had a baby daughter on the way.  
  
"What?" Phoebe said from the doorway. She had begun what was taking Cole so long with the drink. She had overheard what Kara had said, and was suddenly worried.  
  
"Well, yeah. What she and Paige have to do won't be as hard and physical as yours and Cole's was. But, still, they will need to do a lot of concentration, and a few laborious tasks. The emotional balance and calm, would be disrupted. I'm unsure what it might do to the baby. That's why I'm going to take more breaks, for Piper to relax and calm down. I don't want anything to happen to my," Kara stopped, before revealing something that she really didn't want them to find out, not at that moment.  
  
"She's your what?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Cole turned toward to Kara and crossed his arms. He had a look on his face that said, 'what are you hiding?' Kara let out a sigh. She knew that she was caught, and she might as tell them.  
  
"Well....she's my....Melinda is....my cousin," Kara said. She looked at the faces of Cole and Phoebe, trying to figure out what their reactions were. Phoebe stared in shock. She was looking Kara over and she soon realized a resemblance between her and herself. The tan, and facial shape. The eye and hair color was different though.  
  
"Kara, who....who's your parents?" Phoebe managed to stammer out.  
  
"Well...um..you...and, well..Cole," Kara said uncertainly. She cringed out of instinct, expecting a yell. She was right. 


	13. What!

Chapter-13 What?!  
  
"What?!" Cole and Phoebe exclaimed in unison. Phoebe looked from Cole to Kara. She was frantically searching her mind, trying to figure out how this could be possible. Though there was a part of her mind that was calm and going, 'cool'. For some odd reason, she had expected that Kara was her and Cole's daughter. Still, the other part was going crazy.  
  
Cole on the other hand, was pretty happy. He loved Phoebe, and on some level, he loved Kara too. He looked Kara over and saw how much she looked like him and Phoebe. How did he not notice? She had the same color eyes, hair, and posture as him. Her skin color had been a nice blend of his and Phoebe's. Now that he was sure that he was her father, somehow, she looked even more beautiful.  
  
He glanced over to Phoebe and she looked like she was about to faint, the way her eyes were darting about. Good thing he noticed too, or else he wouldn't have caught her when she did faint.  
  
Phoebe was once again taken over by the dream. She was back in that meadow, with Cole and Kara. She was feeling so fulfilled and happy at that moment, just laying back, looking up at the light blue sky. Her happiness was once again shattered by that faceless demon that stabbed and killed her Kara. Now that she knew that she was Kara's mother, she understood why she and Cole were crying so hard. It ended again as she slowly lifted her eyes.  
  
Cole noticed that Phoebe was waking up from when she fainted. He had put her onto the couch, and then began talking to Kara. He wanted to find out how it could be possible for Kara to be here. From the way that Phoebe and his relationship were going, it looked like she was going to kill him, instead of having a child with him. Let alone a high-ranking force of good.  
  
She had explained to Cole that where she had come from, the place was in a loop of time. It loops from far in the past, into far into the future. Unlike mortals, the beings who are there are able to sense where they are in the loop, and travel along it, to any point in time as long as the loop was there. Since she was so powerful, being the daughter of a Charmed one and he, she was strong enough to live there too.  
  
Cole took his time absorbing the information she had just told him. As he saw Phoebe wake up, he was wondering how he was going to tell Phoebe. He went to her side and gently held her head.  
  
"Cole? What happened?" Phoebe asked, as soon as she could make out Cole's handsome features.  
  
"Well, you fainted," Cole said, not bothering with the avoidance thing.  
  
"Oh. So, why did I faint?" Phoebe said, forgetting that Kara was her daughter.  
  
"Wait, don't tell me. Kara is our daughter?" Phoebe asked looking towards her. Cole nodded in response.  
  
"What she said, it wasn't a dream?" she asked. Cole shook his head.  
  
"Oh. Thanks for telling me," Phoebe said. She went back into shock and fainted once again. She fell back onto the couch with a thud.  
  
"I'm guessing it was too much for her?" Kara said questioningly, looking at her mother who was passed out on her father's couch.  
  
"Yeah. I guess we'll have to wait until she wakes up again," Cole said, getting up to sit on a chair. Kara sat next to him, and he lifted his arm, to allow her to curl up in the crook of his arm. They sat there in silence waiting for Phoebe to wake up once again.  
  
45 minutes later  
  
Piper orbed in, along with Paige. They looked from Cole to Phoebe who was still passed out. Kara had gone to the kitchen to get a glass of water.  
  
"What did you do to her?!" Paige exclaimed. She then orbed a few choice objects at Cole, trying to force Cole away from her. One of those objects a scissors that went flying into Cole's chest.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?!" Cole asked angrily, as he calmly pulled the scissors out of his chest. The wound quickly sealed itself back up once the blades were out.  
  
"Um....so, what's going on?" Kara asked, coming back in holding her glass of water, looking from Paige to Cole who was still holding the pair of scissors.  
  
"What happened here Kara? What did he do to Phoebe?" Piper asked worriedly, rushing to her sister's side at the couch.  
  
"Well, actually Cole didn't do anything. It was more of my fault," Kara said, as she walked over to Cole. He set the scissors onto the light stand that he was standing next to. Kara than proceeded to take a sip of water while Cole guided her to the seat across from her mother. She was a little too concentrated on her glass of water to watch where she was going. She nearly ran into the glass table, before Cole quickly stepped in and guided her to the couch.  
  
"Thanks Cole. Or should I say dad? It just feels a little weird to me, that's all," Kara said, looking up at Cole apologetically. "No offense," she quickly added.  
  
"None taken. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can just call me Cole," Cole said, looking down at her understandingly.  
  
"Thanks," she said before taking another sip of water.  
  
"Dad? Okay, what are we missing?" Piper said, stepping in.  
  
"Well, I said I was the reason Phoebe fainted, right?" Piper, Paige and Leo nodded. "I kind of told her that I was her daughter, and she kind of fainted from the news. And of course, as you apparently got, I'm also Cole's daughter," Kara said, calmly sitting down and taking another sip of water.  
  
The three just stared at Kara. They then took a slow glance to Cole and then Phoebe. Then back to Kara.  
  
"Wha....ho..wow," Piper said, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, she realized something.  
  
"Wait, then that means that you're my....," Piper stuttered.  
  
"Niece? Yeah, I'm you're niece, along with Paige's," Kara said, finishing Piper's sentence. They were all reflecting on this newly found information, when Phoebe stirred awake.  
  
"Ugh!" Phoebe grumbled, propping herself up by her elbows.  
  
"Hey, mom, you okay?" Kara said staring at her mom, concerned.  
  
"Uh, I'm fine. Hold on, you just called me mom?" Phoebe questioned, slightly dazed.  
  
"Yeah, and try not to faint again. You want some water to keep you from fainting?" Kara asked holding her glass out for Phoebe.  
  
"Huh? Oh, no thanks," Phoebe answered, holding her head.  
  
"Hold on! Phoebe, when, how did this happen? Most importantly, how?!" Piper asked in and exasperated tone.  
  
"I guess I'll explain it, because I think Cole is still in shock about having a girl and Phoebe's been unconscious for about the past hour. So she doesn't know how. Basically, in the future, Phoebe has a little girl, namely me, and then, I'm brought up 'there'. There was something screwed up in the past, so my colleagues told me to travel back and correct the problem. Mainly, this," Kara said, waving her hand at their surroundings. Piper was about to ask what was wrong, but Kara held her hand up.  
  
"Sorry Piper, but I can't go into anymore detail than that, you know, rules," Kara said. Her eyes told her that she knew that Piper knew all about the 'rules'.  
  
"Oh," Piper said. Paige rolled her eyes in the hint.  
  
"Wow, I guess than we have a niece," Paige stated, trying to believe her words  
  
"Yeah, and Phoebe managed it without losing her figure," Piper said jokingly.  
  
"Hey. Wait, hold on. Does that mean that me and Cole...." Phoebe said, trailing off, suddenly realizing what that meant.  
  
"Oh, don't worry. I may come from a different reality or something. So you may not get back together with Cole. You see, that loop thing I told you about, it spans throughout the infinite number of realities and dimensions, so I don't know what's going to happen in this reality. The only reason why I'm even in this one is because this particular Cole had reached a level of power that we thought could handle the gate," Kara said, reassuring Phoebe. She was kind of sad though. She was hoping that she would be reborn here when she died. But the way these two were going, it didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.  
  
Suddenly a thought came to mind. 'Oh crap! Don't tell me that I have to wait for their next lifetime to be born here!' a voice in the back of her mind whined.  
  
After Kara had explained, she had gone into deep thought that she did often. Her brows would slightly furrow and she would get this serious look in her eyes. Much like Cole would, Phoebe thought as she compared the both of them. She actually wouldn't mind having Kara as a daughter.  
  
"Kara, does that mean that our Cole here, is the only one to achieve so much power?" Paige asked.  
  
"Um...yeah, unless you count the Coles that are sort of..well, evil," Kara said, not wanting to put that little bit of information out.  
  
"What?!" Paige, Phoebe, Piper and Leo exclaimed, again. Cole sat on the couch solemnly, absorbing all of the info. Cole knew that now, Phoebe and her sisters would be even more wary of him. 'Damn', he thought. 'Just when I was starting to win back Phoebe's trust!' He would give up everything just to be with her, and without her, there was nothing to live for. That's why he made that elaborate plan, that tricked them into killing him. Unfortunately, he was too strong and then this whole ordeal began. He lied back down against the couch and closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply and tried to clear his mind.  
  
Kara saw the contemplating look on her father's face and became sad. He had come to the same conclusion that she just had. 'Like father like daughter' she thought, chuckling sadly. She knew that Phoebe and her sisters would not trust him so easily now. She let out a labored sigh and sat down next to her father. Cole felt her next to him and wrapped his arm protectively around her. Kara smiled at this and leaned into his embrace.  
  
Phoebe took a look at the two who were sitting on the couch across from her. She glanced at her sisters and knew they were thinking similar things. 'If the other Coles were as powerful as he and were evil, then how did they know that this Cole wasn't evil?' Suddenly, something Kara had said struck her and she smiled slowly. Kara had said that she could sense that they could trust Cole and that he was good. Phoebe may not have trust Cole, but she trusted Kara. She would even trust her if she was asking her to trust Cole. A thought crossed her mind. 'Doesn't all this come down to trust?' She took one more glance at Cole who was lying on his back and Kara who was sitting in his protective arm.  
  
"Kara, I know that everyone is thinking the same thing. I may not trust Cole, but I do trust you. If you're asking me to trust him, then I will," Phoebe said. Everyone turned to Phoebe and they stared in shock. From what Cole had heard, it made him open his eyes and quickly sit up. Phoebe looked back at them and gave a 'what?' look.  
  
"Okay, can we go home now? I'm tired now," Phoebe said, exhaustion taking her over.  
  
"Um, sure. Wait Phoebe, what about your premonition?" Leo said, suddenly remembering why they had come in the first place.  
  
"Oh. Um..." Phoebe said turning to Cole and Kara, who were looking so happy together. Kara looked to her and Phoebe saw a gleam of understanding in the blue depths of her eyes.  
  
"I know Phoebe. Don't worry. I saw it too. I saw my death," Kara said, her face becoming sad. 


	14. Anguish

Chapter- 14 Anguish  
  
Cole looked at Kara alarmed. He gripped his arm around her, and she felt his worry and sadness.  
  
"Kara, what are you talking about?" Cole asked scared.  
  
"I had a premonition, along with Phoebe," Kara replied sadly. Cole tightened his hug on her.  
  
"What was in it?" Cole asked, his voice laced with fear for his newly found little girl.  
  
"Well, you, Phoebe and me, in the meadow, happy, and then a demon came and killed me," Kara said simply.  
  
"Yeah, I saw that too. I had mine when I was sleeping, and I woke up, hoping that it was just a nightmare," Phoebe said, telling Kara and Cole that she also had the premonition.  
  
"Yeah, I was asleep as well, and I woke up too," Kara said, slightly nodding her head.  
  
"Was that when you woke up from that nightmare?" Cole asked, tightening his grip further.  
  
"Yeah, it was. Cole?" Kara asked tenderly.  
  
"Yes?" Cole asked, his voice saddened by the premonition. He showed that he would do anything to save his little girl.  
  
"Um...if you squeeze any harder, we won't have to worry about that demon killing me," Kara half-jokingly said. His grip on her was starting to make it hard to breathe. She was happy though, his grip showed her that he truly did love her, and would hold onto her to keep her.  
  
"Oh...sorry," Cole replied sheepishly, loosening his grip on her. But not by much, he still kept a firm grip around her, just enough so that it wouldn't suffocate her, but tight so she was pushed into his chest.  
  
Paige was looking at Cole and Kara strangely, and Phoebe noticed her face. It was made of a variety of emotions. Sadness, happiness, affection, wariness, and other conflicting emotions. Phoebe couldn't make out what was promoting these different emotions.  
  
"Can't we do anything?" Phoebe asked Kara hopelessly. From the look that Kara had given her, any hope cam crashing down. Phoebe didn't want to lose her newly found daughter, she had lost so many people already, her mom, Grams, Prue, and Cole. As the thought crossed her mind, she looked at Cole who was still hugging Kara tightly. He looked up, with so much sadness in his eyes, and he held her eyes with his for a few breathless moments. Phoebe snapped out of it and turned to Kara.  
  
"Why can't we do anything to prevent it?" Phoebe asked nearly pleading. She couldn't understand why, or how such a powerful person could die.  
  
"I'm sorry Phoebe. Probably more than you, 'cause I'm the one dying, but I know that you and Cole are going to hurt too. It's just one of those premonitions that you can't stop. I'm sorry for the pain that I will cause you," Kara said, mournfully, almost as though she were mourning herself, because of her impending death.  
  
"No...no...no..." Phoebe whispered. She than started to wobble a bit on her legs.  
  
"Um...Cole, she's about to faint again," Kara pointed out. Cole had been too concentrated on what Kara had been saying.  
  
"Oh, jeez. How many times can you faint?" Cole asked. Though he dutifully caught her in his arms and carried her back onto the couch. After he did, everyone took a seat to steady themselves. They remained silent, just sitting there and absorbing the information. Paige and Piper couldn't get over the fact they were aunts, but couldn't bear the fact that they were going to lose her.  
  
'For God's sake, we didn't even get to know her! How can I lose so many people?' Piper thought. She turned to Leo, who was sitting next to her, looking for some sort of comfort. Cole sat back down next to Kara. Suddenly, the carpeting on the floor seemed very interesting, as he looked solemnly into it, trying to find a stable point in his life. In the past, it had been Phoebe, but now, his world was just spinning out of control.  
  
"Oh, man!" Kara suddenly exclaimed. This startled everyone, and they then settled down.  
  
"What's wrong?" Piper asked weakly.  
  
"Could we at least spend my remaining time happily? I'd like to move on to the afterlife with happy memories of you people. Of my, family," Kara said, not wanting to leave on a bad note.  
  
"Kara, I know this isn't the right time, but what about our training?" Paige asked.  
  
"Oh, I forgot about that. Well, I don't think I'll have enough time to teach you two everything, but I'll teach you two the most important thing you need to help Cole and Phoebe," Kara said, suddenly remembering she needed to train them still.  
  
"What do you mean, 'help Phoebe and Cole'? Won't we be fighting with them?" Paige inquired.  
  
"Actually, no. You see, since Cole is the actual Guardian, he's the only one who's really supposed to do the action part. But since he and Phoebe were so close, their bond is stronger than either of you two. You will mainly be sending them magic, energy and other things to help them protect the gate. Paige made an 'oh' face and looked back down.  
  
Cole was starting to feel uncomfortable. 'How could they think of training, when his daughter was going to die soon?!' he angrily thought. He stood up suddenly and got a surprised look from everyone. He walked towards Phoebe and picked her up.  
  
"I'm going to bring her to the bed, then I'm going for a walk," he said quickly, not wanting to talk to them. He dropped her off onto his bed and quickly blurred out to the park. He let out a breath of sadness and began to walk. His feelings were about to rip him from the inside out. His little girl, who'd he grown so attached to, was going to die soon. He stopped and let out a scream of anguish. It was a good thing that no one was around, or else they would have been scared to death by it.  
  
Kara had gone there, but hid behind a few bushes. She had heard the scream he let out and nearly wept there. She ran out of the bushes and ran into his arms. Cole was thoroughly shocked when he saw Kara running at him with tears in her eyes. When she reached him, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the top of her head. They stayed in each other's arms, trying to comfort each other by just being there. They stayed there, holding each other for who knows how long. All Cole knew was that he loved breathing in the scent of his daughter, how it seemed to smell of clouds, and yet a mixture of his and Phoebe's scents. His love for her was unconditional, and he would do anything for her.  
  
Kara just stayed there, in her father's arms. A feeling she hadn't gotten for over 500 years. Old memories of when she had been with him resurfaced, and she cried more into his shoulder.  
  
"Shh...Shh...Shh..." Cole said, trying to calm his daughter. He could barely hold onto his own tears, while he was holding Kara.  
  
"Can we go back?" Kara asked, looking up into Cole's blue eyes with her own.  
  
"Yeah, sure, of course. I'll even give you some more orange juice," Cole said, with a sad smile. He was trying to lighten the mood in the face of the impending future. They stood up slowly, Kara wiping a few stray tears on her sleeve. They held their hands, and Kara transported them both back.  
  
When they arrived back at the penthouse, they were met by a horrifying sight. Piper, Leo, and Paige were all unconscious. Phoebe was still inside Cole's room, and probably still passed out. Kara saw the demon that was responsible, but held back, she knew she couldn't raise a hand against him.  
  
Cole desperately tried to summon a demon, but he couldn't summon the strength. Kara looked towards him, and knew it was her time. She looked to Cole sadly. She could see him pleading with his eyes. The words were stuck in his throat as what she was going to do dawned on him. He shook his head trying to prevent her. She shook back, and took a step away from him.  
  
"I love you, Kara," Cole was able to say, through gritted teeth. As Kara lunged toward the demon, Cole suddenly found his voice.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" Cole screamed, as the demon plunged his clawed hand into her stomach. Kara gave one last gasp, and looked towards her father. She linked with him for a second, and whispered, "Good-bye." That was the last thing she said to him, before there was an intense flash of light, that blinded Cole, and he had to tear his gaze away from his dying daughter.  
  
When he could look back, the demon was gone, and there lay Kara, stone still, and lifeless. He rushed to her and took her in his arms. Only this time, she didn't hug him back. 


	15. Grief for a Daughter, A Friendship Born ...

Chapter- 15 Grief For A Daughter, And A Friendship Born From the Ashes  
  
Cole stayed there, holding his cold, lifeless daughter. He didn't even check to see if everyone else was alright. He stayed there, rocking back and forth, his world shattered again. How could his daughter have been full of life and happiness just a moment ago, and now lay still in his arms? He couldn't make sense of the world around him, and he just stayed there on the floor.  
  
After about half an hour, Piper, and everyone else started to wake up. Phoebe even began to stir from being passed out. When she came out of the bedroom, she opened her mouth to ask what had happened. She quickly closed it when she saw the living room.  
  
The furniture was strewn all over the place, and the windows were shattered, again. Phoebe then looked around and found Paige, Leo and Piper laying on the floor, trying to get up, but all three were still a little dizzy. She rushed over to Piper, and checked to see what had happened.  
  
"Piper! Are you all right?" Phoebe asked, gently shaking her, to get rid of the dizzy spell.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Check on Paige and Leo," Piper managed to say, pointing towards the two who were about seven feet away from her.  
  
"Sure, okay," Phoebe hurriedly said, before going over to Paige and Leo. Both stated that they were fine. Phoebe let out a sigh of relief. She then tensed again, when she heard soft sobbing behind her. She slowly turned to the source of the sound.  
  
She saw Cole, bent over something, but from her position, she couldn't see what. As she slowly walked over to where he was, she got this sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"Cole? What happened?" she cautiously asked. He didn't even seem to register her voice, as he continued to sob and cry. When she finally reached him and looked down, she gasped. There lay Kara, pale, cold, and lifeless. Her arms and legs were just hanging there, motionless while Cole continued to hold and rock her.  
  
He seemed to have lost touch with reality, and the only thing real was the lifeless corpse that he held in his arms. Phoebe found that her own legs seemed to have their strength sapped out of them, and she slid to the floor next to Cole.  
  
"Cole, wha...what happened?" Phoebe managed to weakly ask. Her eyes seemed to be fixated on her daughter, who she had just found, and just lost. She looked into Cole's face, and saw that he hadn't registered a word she had said to him. He had stopped sobbing, but a single tear came down from time to time.  
  
His face was streaked with dry tears, and his body was shaking slightly. He seemed to have lost his will to live completely. Phoebe reached out and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder. Only then did he take notice to Phoebe and the rest of the people around him.  
  
Paige, Piper and Leo had come to join Phoebe, and their faces were contorted with grief, horror, anger, pain and anguish. Cole took one look at them all, and he broke down again, and lay back down on the floor. He held onto the body of his daughter, and hugged her like a child would hold his teddy bear when he was afraid. Cole was feeling much like a little child, scared, alone, and lost in this cruel world.  
  
Phoebe saw him curl up on the floor with Kara in his arms, and just collapsed next to him, crying feverishly. She and Cole were feeling pain beyond belief, and their combined pain and grief swirled together in their hearts and souls, and caused even more pain.  
  
At the same time, Phoebe and Cole closed their eyes, wanting it all to be a bad nightmare, and when they woke up, it would all be gone, and everything would be fine with the world. When they did wake up, their lives weren't a perfect fairy tale.  
  
At the manor  
  
Phoebe sat in front of her mirror in her room, brushing her hair just to keep her hands busy. It had been a week after Kara had died. Phoebe still had this dull, aching throb in her heart, that she constantly felt tugging at her heart. She suspected that some of it came from Cole, but knew that she was feeling it as well. Even though she hadn't become as close to her as Cole had, but she still felt an immense love for her daughter.  
  
She slammed the comb down on the dresser. 'Damn it!' Phoebe thought angrily. 'Why did I have did I pass out? It's all my fault! I should have been able to help protect her! Do the fates always take away that special someone who brightens up my life?' Phoebe didn't find out what exactly had happened. She just couldn't bring herself to talk to Cole and ask.  
  
As she walked down the steps, Paige was walking towards the door to go get some stuff for a potion. She had been really concerned for Phoebe for the past week. Losing a daughter was really tough for Phoebe and she was showing it. She was pale in color, not eating or sleeping very much, and she got tired really quickly. If she continued on, Paige was scared at what that might imply.  
  
"Hey Phoebe. You okay?" Paige asked tentatively.  
  
"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine," Phoebe answered, almost like she hadn't noticed Paige. Paige noticed how Phoebe had been distancing herself from everyone, and no one dared to talk about either Kara or Cole. They were afraid that even mentioning one of them would hurl Phoebe into a state of depression.  
  
"I need to go out Paige, I'll see you and Piper later. Bye," Phoebe said, before she brushed past her, not even making eye contact. Paige was concerned for her, but decided that she needed some alone time. Phoebe walked out of the manor, into the chilled air, that greeted her. She shivered slightly, and wrapped her coat around her even tighter. She walked around for awhile, letting her feet guide her. When she looked up to see where she was, it seemed she had ended up at the park. She looked around, a memory of Kara when she tricked Cole and herself into coming her. 'She really was sneaky, and really intelligent' Phoebe thought. Suddenly, she realized that she had used past tense, and her eyes welled up with tears again.  
  
She found a bench and sat down, wiping her tears that had started coming down steadily now. Suddenly, a man sat next to her, but he paid no attention to her, so she did the same in return. When she looked up, she nearly gasped out of shock. She didn't expect him to be here.  
  
"Phoebe..." Cole said out of surprised, when he looked to the woman who was sitting on the bench next to him. When he had sat down, he hadn't even noticed her, but now...  
  
"Cole, whatâE¦?" Phoebe asked, hiding her tears. She couldn't finish her question, for her tears may begin again. They stared into each other's eyes, practically thinking the same thing. Through their connection, they felt each other's sadness and knew they were screaming inside. Each both broke down, right in front of each other, crying hysterically. They hadn't released what they felt ever since Kara died.  
  
Cole opened his arms slightly, as though to give her a comforting hug, then pulled back. He remembered how she reacted whenever he was near her. She set aside his hesitation by leaning on him. She needed someone to hold her, right now, and they were both feeling the same pain.  
  
"Cole, she's gone," Phoebe sobbed. She was gripping his coat tightly. She felt him nod and a few of his tears that fell on the top of her head. She looked up, and saw his eyes that were red from crying. His face had gone unshaven, and he looked like he hadn't slept much. She reached up and wiped a tear from his face.  
  
"I know. I can't believe it. But she is gone," Cole said, choking on the word gone. It was the first time since Kara died that he or Phoebe had admitted that she truly died. Cole wrapped his arms around her, needing to hold on to something, and Phoebe needing to be held. They missed this feeling, and they were hurting too much to care what others thought, or their doubts. They just held each other to stop from going insane with the pain that wriggled and ate them up inside.  
  
"Why does this always happen?" Phoebe quietly asked, when her sobs had died down, and she only sniffled from time to time.  
  
"What do you mean?" Cole asked back, looking down. He was slightly confused by her question.  
  
"Well, when I almost find complete happiness, it's always shattered. I mean, the whole thing with us, now Kara, is there something wrong with me?" Phoebe asked pleadingly up into Cole's blue eyes. From the look in those almond brown eyes, he could tell that she was probably more vulnerable than she ever has been in her entire life. He gently stroked her cheek, hesitantly and softly, not wanting to scare off.  
  
"No," was his simple reply. Phoebe looked up into his eyes, a little shocked from the abruptness of his answer. When she saw his eyes, she relaxed. She saw the understanding in his eyes, and compassion and pain that were all melting in those beautiful blue eyes. She felt them edging closer and closer, but Cole stopped them. She saw that he had stopped and looked up confused. Cole, held her hand and looked Phoebe straight in the eye.  
  
"Cole, I'm confused. What do you want?" Phoebe asked weakly. She knew that he wanted her, and now that she was offering, was he not interested anymore? She couldn't stand being hurt again, not so soon.  
  
"Look, Phoebe. I know that you're weak and vulnerable right now. I don't want to take advantage of you, not like this, not ever. I will be here to comfort you, and help you through this, but I won't take advantage of you, I care about you too much to do that to you," Cole said, meaning every word. Phoebe stared at him in shock. She then realized that he had meant it, and smiled. He was always able to ease her pain, even now.  
  
"Could I at least have your friendship? I really need one right now," Phoebe replied, smiling up at him.  
  
"Of course. You know I would always do anything for you. I kind of need a friend right now too, so..." Cole answered. She suddenly hugged him, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Cole was caught by surprise by this.  
  
"Thanks Cole. We'll get through this together. I feel better now," Phoebe said, a weight being lifted off of her heart. She could feel his heart lightening also, and she felt even happier.  
  
"So do I. A walk in this particular park seems to always help us," Cole said grinning.  
  
"Yeah, it seems it does," Phoebe replied, wondering why she seemed to always feel better after coming to this park.  
  
"Do you want me to bring you home? It's getting kind of late, and cold," Cole offered. He had noticed that it was afternoon already, and it was getting cold.  
  
"Wow. I must of walked around more than I realized," Phoebe said, also noticing the time. She looked to Cole, and nodded, accepting his offer. She took his hand and stepped closer to him. He then blurred both of them to the manor.  
  
Back at the manor  
  
"Leo, she's been gone for most of the day. Where is she?" Piper asked worriedly of her husband. She was pacing back and forth across the living room in front of Leo and Paige.  
  
"Honey, she's alright. I would've sensed if she was in danger or something," Leo said, trying to calm his distressed wife. He didn't want her to have anxiety or anything else that might upset the pregnancy.  
  
"If that's true, than why can't you sense her?" Piper countered, still pacing. Leo stayed quiet after that. He let her pace and all three stayed quiet. All of a sudden, Cole and Phoebe blurred into the living room. Piper was so surprised, that she accidentally blew up a flower vase.  
  
"Phoebe! What are you doing with him?!" Paige asked in surprise, her voice edged with anger and suspicion.  
  
"I know what you're all thinking, and it's not like that. He just gave me a ride home, and nothing more. We are not back together," Phoebe said. She didn't want to hurt Cole more than he already was, but she wanted to quickly reassure her sisters. She felt a pang of pain that was coming from Cole, and she looked towards him. 'Wow, he really is good at covering his emotions,' Phoebe thought as she examined his face. What Phoebe had said really hurt him, but he wanted to hide that from her family.  
  
He knew she could feel it though when he felt a pang of guilt coming from her through their connection. He looked to her and smiled, trying to reassure her. There was still a dull ache of pain, but that was alright.  
  
"I guess I better go now. Remember what I said Phoebe, I'm always here if you need me," Cole said. Phoebe knew that he meant needing a friend and nodded, happy that she could tell him things and not be in a relationship with him. He gave her one more smile and then blurred out of the manor before anything could be thrown at him.  
  
"Phoebe, what was that about?" Piper asked, eyeing her younger sister suspiciously.  
  
"Yeah, and what was that, 'I'm here if you need me' line? Phoebe what's going on?" Paige asked, standing next to her crossing her arms. "It was nothing. We just came to an understanding concerning...¦" Phoebe said, trailing off not wanting to re-open that wound that had been sealed just a few minutes ago. She looked down, trying to conceal her feelings. Her sisters knew better though and knew she wouldn't do anything that would endanger them.  
  
"Okay Phoebe. We understand, don't worry about it," Piper said, trying to show her sister that it was okay.  
  
"Are you hungry or something? You were out for most of the day, and I thought maybe you'd be hungry," Paige suggested.  
  
"Oh, sure, why not?" Phoebe answered, realizing she was starving.  
  
Cole's Penthouse  
  
Cole blurred in from the manor, and sat down heavily onto his couch. He felt like a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He was practically jumping with glee inside. He had at least gained her trust back, and was perfectly fine with that. Even if he couldn't be with her, at least he'd be close to her, not like when she was pushing him away and suspecting him for everything.  
  
He heard his stomach grumble, and he chuckled to himself. He hadn't realized he was hungry, so he got up and went to the kitchen. When he opened the refrigerator, he saw the orange juice, and a stab of sadness went through his heart. Kara had really liked the orange juice. He gently took up the box and poured himself a glass. He looked at the orange liquid that had a little bit of pulp in it.  
  
He drank a sip and it tickled his throat a little bit, and for some odd reason, it seemed sweeter than he remembered. 'Maybe it's because she liked it' a voice said in his mind. 'Maybe' he replied back. He finished the juice and went on to make a sandwich. 


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
It's been about 3 months since she had died. Cole and Phoebe's lives had returned to normal, as normal as possible for a Charmed One, and probably the most powerful being on the earth, underworld, or up 'there'.  
  
Phoebe and Cole had actually gotten quite closer to each other in the past 3 months, to the protest of her sisters. They still weren't together, but had become good friends. Each still loved the other, but Phoebe didn't want to go through that pain. Not just yet, and Cole took the hint and backed off. He was content just where he was in his relationship with her. At least now she wasn't always accusing him and blaming things on him. Quite the opposite, now she actually confided in him when she couldn't turn to her sisters or Leo. It reminded him of how he used to be with her, and this fact brought comfort to him.  
  
Phoebe had decided to visit Cole one afternoon, wanting to talk to him. She had a normal day and wanted to talk to him and help him. He was still hurting inside, she could feel it in his heart. Being with her though seemed to ease the pain a little, and she wanted to help him. When she stepped off of the elevator, Cole came out of the bathroom, and was surprised when he saw her there.  
  
"Phoebe, what brings you here?" Cole asked smiling. Her being here, not because of something witchy or concerning with the gate, was something that always picked up his spirits.  
  
"Well, I thought I'd just drop on by, and see how you were doing," Phoebe answered, taking the seat he offered on the couch.  
  
"Oh, well I'm fine. How about you? How have you been holding up?" Cole asked. Cole knew he wasn't the only one hurting, and tried to comfort her.  
  
"Oh, well you know, regular boring routine," Phoebe answered. She had a pretty steady routine nowadays, and it got pretty boring. She missed those days with adrenaline, and things done on the spur of the moment.  
  
"What? Wishing that a demon would come after the gate?" Cole asked, joking of course. His life had also become pretty routine, and he too was wishing something would happen. You know, besides those damn Avitars coming by every now and then trying to sway him to their side. They were really starting to get annoying!  
  
"Well, I guess you got your wish, witch," a demon said, appearing behind them. Both Cole and Phoebe quickly jumped up from the couch and went into a fighting stance. The demon merely laughed.  
  
"Please! Like you would be able to fight me, without out your magical abilities," the demon said, laughing at their audacity. Cole realized this and remembered what they learned when Kara gave them that lesson.  
  
"Phoebe, we need to summon something," Cole whispered to Phoebe who was right next to him.  
  
"You're right. Do you want me to cover while you summon, or you cover while I summon?" Phoebe asked, eyeing the demon warily.  
  
"I'll hold him, you summon," Cole said, preparing to tackle the demon.  
  
"Wait hold on, you're better at summoning, you should do it," Phoebe realized.  
  
"Are you sure?" Cole asked, taking the stance for summoning.  
  
"Yeah. Kara...Kara said you were a natural, and your demons were really strong because you could focus and concentrate more clearly," Phoebe answered back.  
  
"Okay," Cole simply replied. He raised his left hand, palm facing upwards. He began the chant and ritual for the summoning. The demon's eyes saw this and began his way towards Cole. Phoebe however came in and tackled him from the side. The demon had forgotten about her when he saw Cole. Phoebe had caught him by surprise and he fell flat on his back. She quickly got away from him and stepped a few feet away from him.  
  
Cole was making the final symbols above his left hand, and soon a creature came out of a rip that had formed in between Phoebe and Cole. It was maybe a foot shorter than Cole and had gray pebbled skin. It looked more like a large lizard on two legs than a demon. It looked from Cole to Phoebe, than turned it's gaze to the demon. The demon's eyes widened in shock and horror.  
  
"A basilisk," the demon whispered in fear, before the lizard-demon opened it's mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Cole and Phoebe clapped their hands over their ears to block out the sound, but the demon stopped. They looked back at the demon, and he was turned to stone. Phoebe and Cole stared in shock at the statue that was just a demon. The basilisk calmly walked up to the statue and broke off a piece. He popped it into his mouth and ate it. After tasting it, the basilisk spit out the stone, not liking it. He quickly turned around, shattering the statue with his tail. It then turned to dust and disappeared.  
  
The basilisk looked to Cole and Phoebe and asked with it's eyes if that was all. When he saw that his work was finished, he hopped back into the rip, that had reformed after the demon was destroyed.  
  
"Um...that was interesting," Phoebe stated, still in shock.  
  
"Yeah...so, you want to go out for a bite to eat?" Cole asked.  
  
"Sure, why not," Phoebe answered.  
  
"Hey, uh, thanks," Cole said, turning to Phoebe, breaking out of his trance.  
  
"For what?" Phoebe asked back.  
  
"For holding him until I finished the ritual," Cole answered.  
  
"Oh, it was nothing. We're both guarding the gate, so hey," Phoebe asked, shooting him a small smile.  
  
"So, we going?" Cole asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah, right. Let's go," Phoebe asked and they walked to the elevator. They decide to walk there instead of blurring, they wanted to have a normal evening, as friends.  
  
The End 


	17. Author's Note

Author's Note:  
  
Hey you guys, yea i know, i didn't like how i ended that. Oh well, i was kind of aiming for that kind of ending though. That's why it's part of a trilogy. Oh, and for those of you who are like asking me to do like a scene where Cole and Phoebe...uh...:cough: yea, um, i'm a little underage for that kind of thing, so the most i could do was a very detailed kiss, and some implications. If you liked Guardians, and you survived my ridiculous obsessesion with detail, and you still liked it, then i suggest you read 'A Guardian's Protectorate'.  
  
Thanks for the reviews, I wasn't really expecting that many, because mainly, in my opinion i'm not that good of a writer, and as my english teacher says: 'you should really shorten it'. Which I agree, but i just can't cut back on the details. :shrugs: Oh well, if you're still reading this, you have amazing lengths of patience, and i thank you for putting up with me this long. :-) Well, the next installment of the Guardian Trilogy is 'A Guardian's Protectorate' and after that is 'The Seven Gates'. After that, i'm not really sure, but i'll drop in a few of my poems here and there. And remember, always review! Ciao! -  
  
ColeandPhoebe4evr (I'd put my real name, but...^_~) 


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